Does Purandeswari’s elevation in BJP tell a larger story?

The former congress minister and now a BJP leader has been elevated to the post of National General Secretary in the saffron party. Though the BJP, of late, has been avidly adopting turncoats into the party apparatus, her selection in the JP Nadda’s team certainly has a larger political story. Being the daughter of iconic leader NT Rama Rao, she enjoys a special place in politics and people. Her induction into the national team sends a frontal message to TDP supremo N Chandrababu Naidu, as she always remained his bitter critic. Purandeswari has earned  reputation as an able parliamentarian and no-nonsense politician with effective articulation capabilities in English and Telugu.

The party has also inducted DK Aruna from Telangana into the national team. She was also a congress politician. Giving priority to two women politicians is an additional selling point in the organizational rejig. The underlying social engineering which the BJP has mastered cannot be overlooked in these selections.

The BJP has been wooing electorally significant caste to build formidable social arithmetic across several states. The party lured non-Yadav OBCs and non-chamar Dalits in Uttar Pradesh, Lingayats in Karnataka to come to power. A similar social engineering model is attempted in Telugu states.

Reddys are politically active and form the backbone of the Congress support base.DK Aruna’s elevation is a message to several other politicians belonging to the dominant social group, that they can flourish in the party that rules the center.

The BJP attempts to consolidate Kapus in Andhra Pradesh and vying to snatch away kammas from Telugu Desam. The BJP’s foremost political priority in Andhra Pradesh is to weaken the opposition TDP. The BJP leaders have openly declared this objective to emerge as a major opposition party. The organizational restructuring and induction of leaders from telugu states reveal the party’s socio-political mobilization strategy.

However, the importance of D Purandeswari in BJP will be revealed by the role she plays, rather than the position she holds. The induction of two leaders who do not represent the party’s ideological Parivar, but defected to the party is a signal to politicians belonging to other political parties that the saffron brigade is ready to accommodate outsiders. The BJP is normally perceived as a closely held party where those from Sangh Parivar normally run the show. It is true even now. But the party is ready for outreach to expand its political appeal beyond the traditional frontiers.

By – Prof K Nageshwar

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