PVN Madhav set to become AP BJP chief

Vijayawada: Former MLC and senior BJP leader PVN Madhav is set to become new president of the Andhra Pradesh unit of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The election process for the state president concluded on Monday at the state BJP office, where Madhav was the sole candidate to file nomination papers for the top post.

Madhav submitted five sets of nomination papers to election observer and Karnataka Rajya Sabha member PC Mohan, and to election officer and MP Paka Venkata Satyanarayana. With no other leader filing nominations, the party is expected to officially announce Madhav as the new AP BJP chief on Tuesday. The current state president and Rajamahendravaram MP, Daggubati Purandeswari, will hand over the charge to Madhav.

The scrutiny of nominations took place from 1 pm to 2 pm on Monday, followed by the withdrawal period from 2 pm to 4 pm.

State council members attended the election process, extending full support to PVN Madhav's candidature.

Prominent party figures present, included BJP national joint general secretary Siva Prakash Ji, Union Minister Bhupatiraju Srinivasa Varma, MP CM Ramesh, Health Minister Satya Kumar Yadav, and MLAs P Vishnu Kumar, Dr Parthasarathy, Nallamilli Ramakrishna Reddy, and N Eswara Rao, among others.

Madhav is a seasoned BJP leader with deep roots in the RSS and Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM). His father, P V Chalapathi Rao, was a former MLC, and the family has a long-standing association with the BJP. Following the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh, Madhav served as an MLC and was the BJP's leader in the Legislative Council.

The BJP has scheduled a mega party meeting for Tuesday at a private function hall, where the new state president is likely to formally assume charge.