Betul Legislator Hemant Vijay Khandelwal is all set to assume leadership of the Madhya Pradesh Bharatiya Janata Party, having emerged as the party’s next State President through an unopposed election. While the official announcement remains pending, the outcome was virtually confirmed during the nomination process held on Tuesday at the party’s headquarters in Bhopal. The transition unfolded with symbolic precision. As BJP State Organisation General Secretary Hitanand Sharma gestured towards Chief Minister Dr Mohan Yadav, the Chief Minister rose and walked Khandelwal to the stage, publicly endorsing his nomination. Dr Yadav then formally proposed Khandelwal’s name for the post, leaving little doubt about the party’s preferred choice.

 

Khandelwal, who was seated in the front row flanked by senior ministers Virendra Khatik and Gopal Bhargava, made his way to the dais and submitted his nomination papers to Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, the designated election in-charge. He was joined by Election Officer Vivek Shejwalkar and party observer Saroj Pandey. The ceremony was attended by several top BJP figures, including former Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia and Virendra Kumar Khatik. Notable by their absence, however, were senior leaders like Kailash Vijayvargiya, Narottam Mishra, Kamal Patel, and Sudhir Gupta. The formal declaration is expected during a key organisational meeting scheduled for Wednesday morning.

 

handelwal’s elevation follows the completion of Vishnu Dutt Sharma’s second term as State President, a post he has held since 2020 while also serving as MP from Khajuraho. Khandelwal’s rise is widely seen as having the backing of Chief Minister Yadav and a significant section of the party leadership. Other candidates, including Sagar MP Lata Wankhede, who would have become the State BJP’s first woman president, and tribal MPs Durgadas Uikey and Gajendra Patel, were reportedly in consideration, but the consensus favoured Khandelwal. With only one nomination submitted from among 379 eligible voters, the stage was set for an uncontested selection. His appointment is expected to influence the BJP’s organisational roadmap in Madhya Pradesh as it gears up for future electoral challenges.