Rajnath Singh likely to helm BJP as Gadkari ‘opts’ out
23 Jan 2013 7:04 AM IST
On a day of dramatic twists and turns, the race for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president ended with former party president Rajnath Singh emerging as the consensus candidate. While on Tuesday morning it all looked settled in favour of incumbent president Nitin Gadkari getting a second term, things stirred when senior party leader Yashwant Sinha made clear his intention of not letting the election of Gadkari go unopposed.
This sent the party’s top leadership including Leader of Opposition, Lok Sabha, Sushma Swaraj, Leader of Opposition, Rajya Sabha, Arun Jaitley, former president M Venkaiah Naidu and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) emissary Ram Lal, who is the party’s organisation secretary into a huddle to avoid any contest. Meanwhile, Gadkari was sharing the dais with the party’s senior most leader L K Advani in Mumbai, who all through has opposed the former’s re-election. At the Mumbai function, even senior RSS leaders were present who closely monitored developments in Delhi.
In the national capital, the BJP high command tried to wrap the brewing rebellion by upping ante against Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde and External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid on their Hindu terror comments.
However, by eight in the evening, it was clear that Gadkari’s fate has been sealed and desperate attempt was being made to find a candidate acceptable to both RSS and BJP leadership. In the midst of the debris, former party president Rajnath Singh rose like a phoenix as the consensus candidate.
By 9:30 in the evening outgoing president Nitin Gadkari issued a statement announcing his intention to not contest for the second term, saying he did not want that allegations against him should in any way adversely affect the interests of the BJP. ‘I do not wish that this should in any way adversely affect the interest of the BJP. I have, therefore, decided not to seek a second term as the president of the BJP,’ said Gadkari in a statement.
How closely Gadkari missed the bus can be gauged from the fact the party on Tuesday had issued a statement saying, ‘Coming as it does on the eve of his ‘re-election’ as BJP President for a second term, the IT department’s action (against Nitin Gadkari’s Purti group) smacks of the ruling UPA’s nefarious designs to create confusion in the BJP ranks.’ However, the party later dropped the reference to his re-election and clarified that it was a typing error.
Wednesday is the last day for filing nominations for presidential elections of the party.
This sent the party’s top leadership including Leader of Opposition, Lok Sabha, Sushma Swaraj, Leader of Opposition, Rajya Sabha, Arun Jaitley, former president M Venkaiah Naidu and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) emissary Ram Lal, who is the party’s organisation secretary into a huddle to avoid any contest. Meanwhile, Gadkari was sharing the dais with the party’s senior most leader L K Advani in Mumbai, who all through has opposed the former’s re-election. At the Mumbai function, even senior RSS leaders were present who closely monitored developments in Delhi.
In the national capital, the BJP high command tried to wrap the brewing rebellion by upping ante against Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde and External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid on their Hindu terror comments.
However, by eight in the evening, it was clear that Gadkari’s fate has been sealed and desperate attempt was being made to find a candidate acceptable to both RSS and BJP leadership. In the midst of the debris, former party president Rajnath Singh rose like a phoenix as the consensus candidate.
By 9:30 in the evening outgoing president Nitin Gadkari issued a statement announcing his intention to not contest for the second term, saying he did not want that allegations against him should in any way adversely affect the interests of the BJP. ‘I do not wish that this should in any way adversely affect the interest of the BJP. I have, therefore, decided not to seek a second term as the president of the BJP,’ said Gadkari in a statement.
How closely Gadkari missed the bus can be gauged from the fact the party on Tuesday had issued a statement saying, ‘Coming as it does on the eve of his ‘re-election’ as BJP President for a second term, the IT department’s action (against Nitin Gadkari’s Purti group) smacks of the ruling UPA’s nefarious designs to create confusion in the BJP ranks.’ However, the party later dropped the reference to his re-election and clarified that it was a typing error.
Wednesday is the last day for filing nominations for presidential elections of the party.
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