The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has been undergoing an organisational revamp, with the appointment of party chiefs in states and Union territories. The focus has now shifted to the impending appointment of its new national party president.
Speculations are rife that the BJP might appoint a woman as the next chief. The tenure of the incumbent BJP chief, J.P. Nadda, which was supposed to end in 2023, was extended till 2024 because of the Lok Sabha elections.
The appointment is expected to take place between July 10 and 19 before the monsoon session of Parliament on July 21.
Here are some of the top contenders for the post of the BJP national president:
Nirmala Sitharaman
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is considered a strong contender due to her experience. One of the senior ministers in the cabinet, Sitharaman has been handling the portfolio since 2019. She also met Nadda and BJP secretary B.L. Santosh at the party headquarters recently. Being a Tamilian, Sitharaman might help the party make some significant gains in Tamil Nadu, both in the upcoming assembly elections and in the long run.
D. Purandeswari
Daggubati Purandeswari is the former BJP Andhra Pradesh unit chief. She was recently selected to be part of the “Operation Sindoor” delegation which was sent to countries like the United Kingdom, France, Germany, the EU, Italy and Denmark. She has also had a long political career, serving as the Minister of State in the Ministry of Human Resource Development in 2009. She is the incumbent Rajahmundry MP.
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Vanathi Srinivasan
Another contender from Tamil Nadu, Vanathi Srinivasan was a lawyer before entering politics. She has held multiple posts in the party such as state secretary, general secretary, and vice president. In 2020, she was appointed national president of the BJP Mahila Morcha and in 2022, she became a member of the BJP’s Central Election Committee.
Other major contenders for the post of the BJP national president are Bhupendra Yadav, Dharmendra Pradhan, Prahlad Joshi, and B.D. Sharma.
