BJP sees leadership transition with PM nomination

The key thing is that this marks a major leadership transition in the BJP of the sought that this party has not seen in the last 25 years, says CNBC-TV18's Siddharth Zarabi on Narendra Modi being named as BJP’s PM candidate.

Also Read: BJP names Narendra Modi its PM candidate for 2014 polls
If one remembers all the previous times when the BJP went into elections there was no such ceremony. The election head, so to say campaign head, was never such a big formality. This is actually a transition and a move towards a new leadership in the BJP. This is not just about a particular candidate becoming the foremost as far as leading the campaign is concerned. This also means that a second rung of leaders within the BJP are now coming to the forefront that includes Rajnath Singh, who has already been a central minister in the past.
Two key general secretaries that I would like to mention in this regard, Amit Shah, general secretary, now in charge of Uttar Pradesh; and Murlidhar Rao from Andhra Pradesh in charge of some southern states and key confidant in this entire process. he was not there on the stage. Both of them were not there. That will tell you about the transition as far as the leadership is concerned.
More than the television spectacle, more than the message that we all are reading, within the party cadre this is an absolutely electrifying signal which now gives them a sense of direction and purpose. Apart from the fact that there are controversies about Narendra Modi and the Gujarat riots within the party, this is the most important thing. Within the party he now stands a chance to galvanise the cadre like never before and like only perhaps LK Advani did through the Ram yatra many years back.
Meanwhile, Siddharth Nath Singh, spokesperson, BJP, says, Modi’s appointment is the voice of the cadre and the public and he hopes Rahul Gandhi will be up for the challenge. On the other hand, Mohandas Pai, Chairman, Manipal Global Education, says Rahul has no administrative experience and that he is not Rajiv Gandhi. But he believes Rahul Gandhi vs Narendra Modi will be a good contest.
While Shekhar Gupta of The Indian Express feels BJP announcing Modi as the PM candidate is remarkable and it ups the bar for BJP, though he is quick to add that the Modi Mania is over stated. To know what experts Mohandas Pai, Chairman, Manipal Global Education; Siddharth Nath Singh, spokesperson, BJP; and Shekhar Gupta of The Indian Express feel about Narendra Modi being named as BJP's PM candidate, watch the attached videos.