GUWAHATI, Sept 11 - The much anticipated organisational revamp in the Assam State unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is expected to be carried out by the end of this month.
State BJP sources told The Assam Tribune that the process for selection of new district presidents in at least 18 of the 37 district committees is in the final stages and the process is also expected to be finished in the other organisational districts within the next few days.
�The State committee has been officially intimated about the name of the new president of our Kaliabor district committee by our party�s election committee. We have also received information about names of some other district presidents selected after due consultation with mandal-level leaders and we are expecting to receive the intimation officially today or tomorrow. Our target is to complete the entire process for appointing new district presidents by September 15,� said a senior party office-bearer.
The saffron party had earlier 36 organisational districts in Assam, which has now been increased to 37 after bifurcation of the Karbi Anglong district committee.
Party sources said that once appointments of new district presidents is officially announced, it will pave the way for election of a new president for the State unit.
�We expect that to happen at least by the end of this month. The meeting of the party�s national working committee and working council is scheduled to be held on September 23-25 in Calicut (Kozhikode), Kerala. The new BJP Assam chief is likely to be announced around that time,� said a leader.
He said the entire process of organisational polls is being undertaken by the election committee headed by State returning officer Dr Rajdeep Roy, who is being assisted by returning officers at the district level.
The BJP high command, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party boss Amit Shah, are expected to have the final word regarding election of the new State party chief. A new State president had to be selected after the incumbent party head Sarbananda Sonowal became Chief Minister following the victory of the BJP-led alliance in the last Assembly polls.
Adhering to the saffron party�s one-person-one-post principle, Sonowal relinquished the post of State party leader and at present Santanu Bharali is serving as in-charge president of the party in Assam.
Among the names doing the rounds for the new BJP State president are those of Bharali himself, MPs Kamakhya Prasad Tasa and Ramen Deka and Jadab Deka.
Asked about reports of complacency having crept into the State BJP following the party�s massive win in the Assembly polls, sources said that some laxity at the ground level has been noticed.
�However, that is mainly on account of the uncertainty that is prevailing due to the delay in the organisational restructuring. That has caused come anxiety among workers. But it is the case only at certain places, while at many other places our local and district-level leaders are still maintaining the momentum for expanding the organisation,� they said.
