Betul MLA Hemant Khandelwal set to become new MP BJP president

Bhopal, Jul 1 (PTI) Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Hemant Kumar Khandelwal was the sole candidate to file his nomination papers for the post of party's Madhya Pradesh unit president on Tuesday, making his election to the organisational position a mere formality.

Khandelwal, also a former Lok Sabha MP, is set to be elected unanimously as the new president of the Madhya Pradesh BJP, party functionaries said.

"A formal announcement in this regard will be made on Wednesday," Madhya Pradesh BJP's media in-charge Ashish Agrawal told PTI.

Once elected, the MLA from Betul will succeed Vishnu Dutt Sharma, who has been holding the top organisational post in the state BJP since 2020.

Earlier, Khandelwal submitted his nomination papers at the state BJP office. Chief Minister Mohan Yadav became the ruling party MLA's proposer and submitted his nomination papers.

Since no one else has filed nomination papers for the post, Khandelwal's election was a foregone conclusion.

Khandelwal hails from a political family as his father Vijay Kumar was a four-time Lok Sabha member from Betul.

After his father's death in 2007, Khandelwal contested from Betul in a by-election and entered the Lok Sabha for the first time.

Khandelwal served as the Betul district president of the BJP from 2010 to 2013 and was also the MLA of Betul from 2013 to 2018. He was again elected from the seat in the 2023 assembly polls.

Khandelwal, who has also served as treasurer of the state BJP, is currently president of the Kushabhau Thakre Trust, a body linked to the saffron outfit. PTI MAS RSY