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Nirmala Sitharaman, D Purandeswari among likely picks for BJP president: Report
While a suspense remains on who would hold the key post, sources have told Live Hindustan that the party may get its first ever woman president.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is undergoing a major organisational rejig. After the appointment of party chiefs for local units in six states and Union territories, the BJP is now shifting focus on appointing its national president.
JP Nadda has held the party's national president post since 2020. His term ended in 2023, but the BJP extended it till 2024 so he could steer the party through the Lok Sabha elections.
While a suspense remains on who would hold the key post, sources have told Live Hindustan that the party may get its first ever woman president.
A look at probable names:
Nirmala Sitharaman
BJP leader Nirmala Sitharaman has been holding the Finance Minister since 2019, after the BJP was elected for a second term. She is being seen as one of the frontrunners for the BJP President post, being one of the more influential women in the party. Her roots in Tamil Nadu can also be an advantage to the BJP, given the party's push down south. She recently also met with JP Nadda and BJP General Secretary BL Santhosh in the party headquarters.
D Purandeswari
Formerly the BJP's Andhra Pradesh unit chief, D Purandeswari is also one of the probables who may hold the national president post. She was also part of the government's Operation Sindoor delegation that represented the country's anti-terrorism stance in the United Kingdom, France, Germany, the EU, Italy and Denmark.
Vanathi Srinivasan
Vanathi Srinivasan has held the post of BJP Mahila Morcha National President. In 2021, she defeated actor and Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) founder Kamal Haasan, and won the Tamil Nadu's Coimbatore (South) seat. She has been associated with the BJP since 1993 and became a member of the BJP’s Central Election Committee in 2022.
Why is BJP looking at a woman face?
The BJP has seen success in influencing women voters in the recent past, which could be one of the reasons why it is now looking at making a woman hold the post of party's national president, sources told Live Hindustan.
Besides, the BJP also pushed for the women's reservation bill in 2023, which cleared both houses of Parliament. The bill seeks 33 per cent reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies.
Appointing a woman president for the party could also send a message that the BJP was aligning with the bill.
