Vanathi Srinivasan, national president of BJP Mahila Morcha, is an MLA from Coimbatore, where the party’s principal strategist and Home Minister Amit Shah recently attended events.“She is credited with running several successful outreach programmes through her front and has emerged as one of the most prominent women leaders in the party, trusted by PM Narendra Modi and Amit Shah,” a BJP leader remarked.A senior and reliable source also suggested that the new incumbent will be in the 50-70 age bracket. “In this context, Manohar Lal Khattar, also being discussed as a potential candidate, does not fit the bill as he is 71. The party will decide the final choice,” remarked the source.Current HRD Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, around 55, falls within the preferred age range. “If none of the mentioned women candidates is chosen, Dharmendra Pradhan, 55, Bhupendra Yadav, 55, and Vinod Tawde, 61, could also emerge as potential contenders,” suggested a senior leader.The assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Assam, and Gujarat are scheduled for the next few years after Bihar this year, and the BJP is also considering the electoral profiles of these states while pondering over candidates’ names.Sources indicate that the party’s ideological mentor, the RSS, is also playing a role in the selection process, though the final decision will be made through party consensus.
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