Nitin Gadkari gets second term as BJP president

The Bharatiya Janata Party national council on Friday approved an amendment to the party's constitution to allow a second consecutive term for its president.

Hitherto, a BJP president could only serve a single three-year term.

The amendment to Section 21 of the Bharatiya Janata Party's constitution says that any eligible member can hold the post of the president for two consecutive terms of three years each.

However, former BJP chief Venkaiah Naidu, who moved the amendment, clarified that this does not mean that the term of any president will automatically be extended for a second time.

He said this was only an enabling provision.

The amendment was adopted during the party's national executive meeting in Mumbai in May this year and was ratified by the national council here, said a party functionary.

The amendment is likely to benefit the current BJP president Nitin Gadkari, whose term ends in December