Union Agriculture Minister and former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan recently held a 45-minute meeting with Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat in Delhi, setting off strong speculation about his name emerging in the race for the BJP’s next national president.

The meeting took place at the RSS headquarters, Keshavkunj, in Jhandewalan, on Sunday evening. According to sources, the closed-door discussion lasted for nearly three-quarters of an hour, after which Chauhan left directly for Delhi airport. This was his first meeting with the RSS chief in almost two years.

Before arriving at Keshavkunj, Chauhan attended a Gayatri Parivar event at Bharat Mandapam, Pragati Maidan, alongside Union Culture Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and Dr. Chinmay Pandya. After the RSS meeting, he departed for Bhopal, where he is scheduled to attend the convocation of IISER Bhopal on Monday.

The timing of the meeting has fueled political chatter, as the BJP is preparing to complete its national president election process in September, immediately after the Vice Presidential election on 9 September. Party sources indicate that efforts are being made to finalize the new national president before 28 September.

For over a year, the BJP has not elected a new national president, with the delay attributed to coordination issues between the party’s leadership and the RSS. Against this backdrop, Chauhan’s meeting with Bhagwat is being seen as a signal of possible organizational changes within the BJP at the top level.