- 7/3/2025
This episode of Newstrack focusses on the potential selection of BJP's next national president. Sources suggest the party may choose its first woman chief, with three names from South India in contention:
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00:00Who will be the BJP's next top boss?
00:07Suspense builds ahead of RSS meet.
00:13Some huddle to discuss BJP chief post.
00:20Exclusive details on front runners.
00:39Will BJP get first woman chief?
00:42BJP's suspense top focus on news track this evening.
00:50Hello and welcome. Good evening. You're watching news track here on India Today.
00:53I'm Akshita Nandakopala.
00:54Over the next 30 minutes, we'll be putting a focus on who will be the next BJP national president.
01:00We've been seeing a lot of movement in the last few days with state chiefs being appointed by the Bhartia Janata Party,
01:06meaning essentially that we're a step closer to choosing the national president.
01:10Over the next 30 minutes, you can watch out for exclusive news breaks on who exactly is in contention.
01:16Who are the front runners? The names are out here on India Today.
01:20Now let's begin with an India Today exclusive news break.
01:28Sources telling India Today that BJP could pick a Mahila Neta woman as its national president,
01:35in which case it will be the first time that the Bhartia Janata Party will have a woman national president.
01:42Now who is in contention?
01:44Well, the names doing the rounds, our sources tell us, are essentially three women netas, interestingly all from the south.
01:51Nirmala Sitaraman, finance minister, is in the race.
01:54As is Banati Srinivasan, MLA from Tamil Nadu, Coimbatore South MLA for the BJP.
02:01And then you have also D. Purandeshwari, who's also from Andhra Pradesh.
02:05She too is in contention. She served previously as the Andhra BJP chief.
02:10These are the names that are currently emerging here on India Today as our sources have confirmed to us that the BJP is considering the possibility of going ahead with a woman national president.
02:23And the messaging here is very important.
02:25Let's run you through the names based on the news break that we've just put out.
02:30There are three names doing the rounds.
02:32Nirmala Sitaraman, finance minister, reportedly the front runner right now for the top post.
02:38And what's got everyone talking is that she also recently met with BJP chief JP Nadda.
02:44She could also strengthen, of course, BJP's outreach in South India.
02:47She's been kind of leading BJP's effort in many of the south states.
02:51And as a union finance minister, now could she step into the role of national president of the BJP?
02:57We'll have to wait and see.
02:59The other name doing the rounds is D. Purandeshwari.
03:02From Andhra Pradesh, she served as the BJP state president in Andhra Pradesh until just about a few days ago.
03:08She's fluent in Telugu, Tamil, Hindi, English.
03:11And also, of course, because of that huge connect with the south, important, important messaging by the BJP if she's chosen.
03:19She's had multiple responsibilities as well.
03:22She was part of the Operation Sindur multi-party delegation and very often is referred to as the Sushma Swaraj of the south.
03:31Very well-spoken.
03:32Someone also who's tried to be very, very aggressive for the BJP in Andhra Pradesh.
03:38Was instrumental, of course, in ensuring also their alliance worked out with the TDP and the Janasena.
03:43The third contender is Vanati Srinivasan, a lawyer turned politician from Tamil Nadu.
03:50She's also served as the BJP Mahila Morcha chief.
03:55She is MLA from Tamil Nadu, from Coimbatore south.
03:58She defeated Kamal Hassan.
04:00And she's known to have a track record in a state where the BJP struggled to have a foothold.
04:04Vanati Srinivasan has delivered for the party.
04:07She's a blend, essentially, of legal acumen and grassroots work.
04:11So, she could also, just because of that, be chosen as someone who rose from, in fact, being just a karekarta of the BJP, which the BJP looks to reward usually.
04:22Let me bring in Piyush Mishra who's joining us live with the latest updates.
04:26Piyush, access these exclusive details for us.
04:29Piyush, good evening.
04:30Tell us what your sources at this point are telling you.
04:32Will BJP get its first woman chief this time?
04:36Importantly, why now?
04:37Well, Ashut, in the last few days, what we are told is that BJP has held multiple meetings on its new national president.
04:46And what we are also learning from our sources is that the deliberations upon the names of women leaders have also taken place.
04:53Why?
04:54Because BJP feels that women are one of the core voters of BJP.
04:59And remember that this FN outfit has not had the woman chief in the last 40 years.
05:05So if BJP appoints a woman leader as its national president, then it will be the first of its kind and will be a historic step as far as the BJP's political history is concerned.
05:18Also, what we are told is that BJP wants to have its women as national president because the Modi government is all set to roll out women's reservation bill in the next Lok Sabha elections after the delimitation excise is over.
05:37If the party has a woman's face, then it will be very easy to woo the women voters also in the next Lok Sabha elections because after the delimitation excise is completed, then there will be a large number of seats.
05:52Those will be reserved for women. So the party will have an agenda if it will have a woman's face.
05:59So one of the questions, and while we are putting out the names, three names, Piyush, that we are focusing on, are there other women leaders also who are in contention?
06:06What about the RSS's pick? Is that something that also will be looked into? Are they also keen on having a woman as the national president?
06:13Well, certainly Akshita, remember that RSS is of the view of giving a lot of space to women and it has also reportedly given nod to the party's top leadership, BJP's top leadership for having a woman face this time.
06:29And as far as names are concerned, in the last few days, multiple names have been discussed, but out of these names, three big names are doing the rounds.
06:38One is Nirmala Sritanaman, another is Vanath Srinivasan and the last one is D. Purundeshwarya.
06:44And among all these three names, Nirmala Sritanaman tops the list. Why? Because she is not only the veteran BJP leader, but has also a vast experience.
06:54And if she is made the party's president, then BJP will be able to have a strong edge over its women empowerment policy.
07:04Also, it will be able to make strong inroads in southern India, which the party is trying its best to do so.
07:10And as far as Vanath is concerned, if she is given the position, remember that she is not only the party's Mahila Morcha national president,
07:18but also plays an important role in Tamil Nadu politics.
07:21And as far as D. Purundeshwarya is concerned, she is also one of the topmost faces.
07:25Why? Because she is a strong voice of party in the parliament.
07:30And she was also sent for the Operation Sindhur delegation visits to various other countries.
07:37So there are multiple names who are doing rounds, but sources are suggesting that this time Nirmala Sritanaman, you know, is now topping the list among all the women leaders.
07:46Those have so far been discussed by the BJP.
07:49Okay, thanks very much for those inputs, Piyush.
07:51Let's see.
07:52In the days to come, hopefully we'll have some confirmation and announcement on who will be the BJP national president.
07:58But let me open this up.
07:59Joining me on this broadcast on NewsTrack is Neeraj Chaudhary, senior journalist and columnist, as well as Rashid Kidwai, author and political analyst.
08:06Good evening.
08:07Thank you very much for joining me.
08:09As the BJP seems to be thinking, let's go women first.
08:11Neeraj Chaudhary, what do you make of, you know, the news break that we've just put out?
08:16Sources telling us the BJP could just get its first woman chief and that too from South India.
08:21What do you think is the messaging, the thinking behind such a move?
08:25You know, I'd say it would be a master's stroke in some ways if they go for a woman leader.
08:30So far, you know, the buzz has been around three, four names for the last many months.
08:37It was Amal Khattar, Dharmendra Padhan, Hupendi Yadav, and a favorite of the RSS, Shivrat Johan, who may not have been accepted by the BJP brass.
08:51So we, you know, one of them was on top and then they moved down, the second one moved up.
08:56And this is what we kept hearing.
08:57And now for the BJP and the RSS, they have to zero in on a name, a mutually agreed name.
09:06And remember, this has not happened for one whole year.
09:11Mr. Nagda's term came to an end, extended term came to an end in June 2024, soon after the elections.
09:19And the RSS circles used to say that they'll be very soon a president because they were not very happy with his statement.
09:27You remember, he said at that time, we do not need any hand-holding.
09:33Sangha, we are now, you know, empowered enough to handle our own affairs.
09:37This didn't go down very well with the Sangha at that time.
09:40So they were keen that somebody replace him.
09:43But it's taken all of one year for them to come to a mutually agreed consensus name.
09:49And the fact that they have zeroed in on a woman, if that is true, I think it's a, the Sangha has moved on also.
09:57And as far as the BJP, it understands that women are emerging as a very important constituency for them, for Mr. Narendra Modi in particular.
10:08In Bihar also for Nitish Kumar and their alliance, women are a constituency that have kept them in power and elsewhere too.
10:18The second factor, of course, is the South, where the BJP would like to make inroads and a new face, somebody from the South, an unexpected person thrown up.
10:31But, you know, it remains to be seen how it goes down amongst the southern states.
10:36The three names that you're talking are all very savvy, articulate, and have had experience.
10:45So let's see which one of them the party goes for, if what your, you know, if your story and your reporters have got it right.
10:53And I hope they have, because it will be a new breakthrough.
10:56Very true.
10:57Very true.
10:58And my sense is essentially two birds, one stone.
11:01That you're not just catering to the woman vote, but you're also ensuring an outreach to the South at a time when next year you're going to be seeing that all crucial election in Tamil Nadu and in Kerala.
11:11Let me also bring in Mr. Rashid Kidwai on this.
11:14Mr. Kidwai, you know, to me, the fact that, you know, you had the BJP already putting the focus on the woman voter in Delhi by choosing a Mahila chief minister in Rekha Gupta.
11:23And now perhaps also to follow that up with also choosing a national president who is a woman.
11:29This is the BJP focusing on the woman vote like never before.
11:32And like I said, they're also perhaps not just looking at Bihar, they're looking at 2026 elections as well.
11:37Akshita, to my mind, this name that you're speculating is high on optics, but very low on substance.
11:48You know, symbolically speaking, it's a good gesture that the BJP has a, you know, woman president.
11:53But how will it going to change, you know, fortune of a political party in a state like Tamil Nadu or Andhra Pradesh, where the BJP lacks that kind of, you know, organizational network.
12:06Women are voting in great numbers for the BJP.
12:09But that has to do with, you know, the Labati scheme, you know, the personality of Prime Minister Nareem Murti and that well oil election machinery that, you know, BJP has.
12:20I think the big question will be if Nirmandaji is made BJP national president, who will be the finance minister?
12:26And that is going to, you know, create a lot of problems within the sort of, you know, the top hierarchy of the government, etc.
12:34Because finance is a very crucial portfolio.
12:38And you look at the two of the three names you're mentioning, they come from, you know, dynasty background.
12:44One person I have known, you know, she has changed political parties.
12:48And many of them, they lack that kind of organizational experience.
12:51And I think it will take a lot of time for BJP to come up politically in a state like Tamil Nadu, Khaira Pradesh.
12:57It's high on optics, low on substance.
13:01Okay, we'll discuss who to you, Mr. Kidwai, will be the ideal candidate.
13:04But before that, let's just take a look at this next report where we focus really on the RSS's role in picking the next BJP national president.
13:13Mind you, the RSS is going into a huddle.
13:16There's a crucial three-day meet that kicks off tomorrow in the national capital.
13:20And so, with that meeting all set to happen tomorrow, and the fact that BJP has already announced 10 new state chiefs,
13:27there's a lot of buzz that the sang could just communicate to the BJP who their choice is for the role of the national president.
13:35Details in this report.
13:36The countdown is on as to who the BJP will pick as the national president.
13:51While it's been a long wait, the BJP has been actively picking its state chiefs to set the stage for the national president to be chosen.
13:59And the focus is on the RSS, which has a big say on who will head the Bharatiya Janata Party.
14:07The RSS will kick off a three-day huddle tomorrow in the national capital, which will see RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat in attendance.
14:17The RSS, when asked about the BJP chief's appointment, had this to say a few days ago.
14:22The RSS right now tight-lipped on their pick or choice, and for now claim there will be no discussion on this in the three-day meet.
14:50Look back in time, and the RSS has always had a big say on who will be.
15:20The RSS will become the BJP chief.
15:23J.P. Narda, too, rose through the ranks from the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, ABVP, the student wing of the RSS.
15:33Will the RSS's three-day meet give more clarity on who is the front-runner for the BJP's chief post?
15:41Bureau Report, India Today.
15:42So let's wait and watch to see what really emerges from the RSS's meet.
15:50But here's why the process has already been kicked off by the BJP, and here's why we're saying that.
15:55Because essentially, if you look at the norms that are put in place as per, really, the BJP's process and the election process,
16:02for the national president, it's held after 50% of the state-level polls are completed.
16:07The BJP has completed its internal organizational elections in 28 states and union territories.
16:13So essentially, at this point, there are nine more than there are 19 required to initiate the election process for the national president.
16:20The standard tenure is about three years. Of course, in the case of J.P. Narda itself, that's been very, very flexible as far as his term is concerned.
16:28It's been extended. It ended, actually, in January 2023. It was extended then till June due to the general elections.
16:36But now, with the change that we've been seeing in the state chiefs, there is talk that very, very soon we're going to be seeing an announcement on the BJP national president as well.
16:46I'd bring back Neerja Chaudhary and Rashid Kidwaiya on this. Neerja Chaudhary, up to you, if you were to put it in percentages.
16:53How much weightage, really, is the RSS's choice given? Is that the final say? Or is it just, you know, a recommendation in a list of candidates that are put forth?
17:03No, I think the RSS will have a major say because the RSS has been insisting.
17:07What they have been interested in is who will head the organization.
17:13The organizational part of the story, the organization is strengthening, particularly after the BJP got 240 seats in the elections last year.
17:23That is an area they want to strengthen. And I think they will have a major say in who becomes the national president.
17:32But so will the top two of the BJP. The prime minister will have a major say and the home minister will have a major say.
17:40And in effect, for all practical purposes, you know, while the prime minister has been looking after foreign policy and global events in the last months,
17:49all the domestic handling and governance has been done by the home minister, Mr. Amit Shah, as also looking after the organizational matters.
17:59So whoever is the new president, as with Mr. Nadda in the past, they will be working, he or she will be working very closely with the home minister also.
18:09And I think that the reason why it's taken so long, I think, has probably not been a consensus or an agreement by the RSS brass,
18:21between the RSS brass and the top leadership of the BJP.
18:25So now if you go for a very unexpected name, you know, the party organization is a humongous one, which exists.
18:34What they need is a chahra, an appealing chahra, somebody who catches new constituencies.
18:41And therefore, I would not be really surprised if they really go in for a woman.
18:45And what Rashid was saying, what happens to the finance ministry, this will or this is also may be accompanied not just by an organizational reshuffle.
18:56Of course, we already have chosen 21 presidents and others are left.
19:02In important states, there seems to be contention like Uttar Pradesh, Karnatak, where they have not, Gujarat, where they have not zeroed in on who will head the party in those states.
19:12But otherwise, it will also may well be accompanied by a cabinet reshuffle.
19:20Okay, so that's a possibility.
19:22Rashid Kidvai, you know, earlier when you did mention that you believe that this is nothing beyond optics to have a woman BJP chief,
19:31someone from the South India that it would achieve nothing beyond optics.
19:33So who to you would be an ideal face as the BJP national president?
19:38Look, the BJP suffers from the same problem perhaps that the Congress does.
19:42There's been a lot of talk about how Malik Arjun Kargay said the high command will decide over what's happening in Karnataka.
19:47And so there were question marks over who the high command is.
19:49For the BJP too, perhaps many would say that ultimately the decision is taken by two people.
19:54The national president also may be chosen by the same two people.
19:59Yeah, so actually we must understand certain fundamentals.
20:02Inner party democracy is almost non-existent in Indian political setup.
20:08There is no political party, particularly the BJP since its inception in 1980 has not had election.
20:15Here what we are seeing and it's been happening is consensus, whether it's the states or at the national level.
20:22So there is no contest.
20:23In Congress also the same trend is there, but there have been few instances of whatever,
20:27however, you know, inadequate those internal elections were, but there have been some kind of, you know,
20:33contests, Jitendra Prasad versus Sonia Gandhi, Malik Arjun Kargay versus Shashi Tharoor.
20:39So there is a total absence of it on the ground.
20:41See, the BJP needs a functional president, president who can coordinate, president who is a consensus builder,
20:49a president who understands, you know, the state dynamics in particular states like Bengal or Tamil Nadu,
20:57where the BJP has to reach.
21:00And, you know, win back states like Uttar Pradesh, where the BJP seemed to have struggled during the Lok Sabha elections of 2024.
21:08So I think they must look at a political mind.
21:11And there I see, you know, Bhupendra Jato, who enjoys the confidence of the big two,
21:16that big Nareen Modi and Amit Shah, to my mind, is a top contender and a candidate.
21:22There are several others who have a lot of experience.
21:25Why not Shibnaya Singh Chauhan?
21:26Why not, you know, some of the names will say gender thing is, I think, you know, see,
21:31I have nothing against, I am all for empowerment of women.
21:33But here, you see, there is Magda Benetri, there is Mayawati, and, you know, Sonia Gandhi was the longest-serving,
21:40you know, Congress president.
21:41But it made no difference in terms of either as office winners or getting, you know, seats and tickets to,
21:49you know, women candidates in these three political parties.
21:52And nothing is going to change drastically in BJP.
21:55And therefore, I am arguing that it is high on, you know, symbolism and very low on substance.
22:00OK, we leave it at that. Let's wait and watch to see what comes in the next few days.
22:05One thing's for certain, you know, we can all go ahead and take names, make guesses of who it will be.
22:10But with the BJP, we're all used to, of course, expecting a few surprises along the road.
22:15But thank you very much, Neerja Chaudhary and Rashid Kidwai for joining us here on NewsTrack.
22:20Interesting, of course, to see what emerges in the next few days, particularly with the RSS meet,
22:24that we will track very, very closely here in India today,
22:27because that's when it's expected that there will be some clarity on exactly who the RSS backs.
22:32But our source is telling us that it could just be a woman, a woman from South India,
22:37who will be the BJP national president.
22:40All right, let's move on and get to the story that's come in from Kerala
22:44that everyone's been talking about for the last two weeks plus.
22:48It's been 20 days since the F-35 jet that landed at the Tiruvannathapuram airport
22:53has been stationed there.
22:55And sources say now that the fighter jet is likely to be airlifted back to the United Kingdom.
23:00It's believed multiple attempts to repair the fighter and get it airworthy have failed.
23:05And so now what's the solution?
23:07A heavy lift cargo aircraft is likely to fly it back to its country
23:11after it's partially dismantled by technicians.
23:15Adding to the delay, no engineering team from the United Kingdom has arrived in India yet.
23:21A group of 40 engineers now expected to reach Kerala in two days from now by July 5th to undertake repairs.
23:29That particular fighter jet has been stationed on the runway of the Tiruvannathapuram airport from June 14th.
23:36It's the F-35B, part of the HMS Prince of Wales Carrier Strike Group.
23:41It was conducting operations of the coast of Kerala when adverse weather as well as low fuel
23:45forced an emergency diversion to Tiruvannathapuram.
23:49India immediately allowed this diversion to take place
23:52and the emergency landing at the Tiruvannathapuram airport.
23:56Since then there's been 24 bars, 7 security being provided to the fighter jet.
24:01And because of issues, it's not been able to head back to the beach.
24:07Alright, with that I'm wrapping up this edition of Newstruck.
24:09Thanks very much for tuning in.
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