New Delhi, July 14: The BJP has to elect a new president by yearend and each group in the party is lobbying hard to make sure the organisational election throws up a candidate suitable to it.The main rivals are of course the sections led by senior leader LK Advani and incumbent Rajnath Singh. But there are a couple of other contenders, too — one from UP, being promoted by a key party troubleshooter, and another being pushed by the Maharashtra lobby.
It all started after the Lok Sabha election debacle when Advani offered to step down, reassumed charge and proceeded to consolidate his position by making key appointments authorised by the party executive. There were protests and Advani came to be perceived as making an all-out attempt to maintain his control over the party.
Rajnath is seen as trying to ensure that he remains a key player even after he ceases to be party president.
If he has ceded some ground at the central level, a source said, it is only because he is trying to bolster his position by having supporters in dominant positions in state units and other wings of the party. Many of these are under Advani’s chosen ones.
The crux of the tussle, BJP leaders said, is who succeeds Advani as the party’s top leader. Among the names floated by the Advani lobby, the first and for a very short duration, was leader of opposition in the Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley. The other names include former president Venkaiah Naidu and member of Advani’s ‘kitchen cabinet’ Ananth Kumar.
Of course, BJP deputy leader in the Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj remains in the running as a good speaker, campaigner and one acceptable to a larger section. According to some, Rajnath would not mind her being made the party president, vacating the post of deputy leader for him and making him a claimant to Advani’s throne.
Meanwhile, others have become ambitious as well. A prominent leader from UP, who is said to have enrolled Rajnath into the BJP, has a key troubleshooter of the party lobbying for him, a source said. It is another matter that this leader has not been able to grow like Rajnath.
–Agencies