High-Level Meetings Between PM, Senior BJP Leaders

Party chief J.P. Nadda, whose term was extended in January 2024, met Modi on Thursday for the second consecutive day. Wednesday’s discussions also included Union ministers Amit Shah and Rajnath Singh and organisation general secretary B.L. Santhosh. A separate strategy session on Tuesday brought together Nadda, Shah, Singh and several other Cabinet colleagues.

According to party sources, the BJP leadership recently conferred with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh on possible successors to Nadda. Names shortlisted by the Sangh have been debated internally, the sources said.

Modi’s Thursday call on President Droupadi Murmu — officially described as a routine briefing following foreign travel, including last week’s BIMSTEC summit in Thailand — has added to buzz about a forthcoming reshuffle once a new party chief is in place.

Meanwhile, the cancellation of Wednesday’s Union Cabinet meeting and the postponement of the Prime Minister’s planned visit to Srinagar have raised eyebrows. BJP officials attributed both decisions to “scheduling and weather-related reasons,” noting that similar cancellations “have occurred in the past.”

Several senior RSS figures, including Suresh Soni, Dattatreya Hosabale and Arun Kumar, are currently in the capital, and RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat is also in the National Capital Region. Party insiders say the Sangh leadership may hold further consultations with BJP brass, with issues ranging from organisational changes to recent unrest in West Bengal over Waqf-related protests likely on the agenda.

A formal announcement on the BJP presidency is expected once internal deliberations conclude, party sources indicated, but no timeline has been confirmed.