Advani to Quit after New President Takes Charge: Sangh
Dismissing reports of Leader of Opposition LK Advani exiting from politics on his birthday on Sunday, RSS has made it clear that the senior BJP leader would resign only after a new president takes over the party next year.
“The present BJP president completes his term in December. By the time the formalities for taking over by a new president are completed it would be January end. Once that is done, Advani will step down as was decided earlier,” revealed RSS leader Ram Madhav.
Earlier, reports were doing the rounds that Advani might quit politics on his birthday.
Sangh had asked Advani to choose his successor and see a smooth takeover of leadership after completion of Rajnath Singh’s term.
In addition, a BJP leader is also reported to have made the same statement, saying Advani is not resigning at present and will do so once a new president is chosen.
This would mean Advani, who turns 82 on Sunday, may give up the post of Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha in February-March 2010, said reports quoting party sources.
“However, the issue has not been discussed afresh. These decisions were taken last month when a series of meetings were held between the RSS chief (Mohan Bhagwat) and BJP leadership,” Madhav said.
In the meanwhile, Sangh chief Bhagwat said in an interview to a TV channel that BJP leaders told him that the party’s new president would be from outside Delhi.
He also made it clear the names of senior leaders Arun Jaitley, Sushma Swaraj, M Venkaiah Naidu and Ananth Kumar for the top post have been ruled out.
RSS and BJP top brass have reportedly agreed that the new party president would be somebody with a Sangh background, not more than 60 years of age, dynamic and capable of taking along all sections of the party and the Sangh.
The process of choosing a new BJP president has already begun. Sources said that names were likely to be finalised by the end of November and a consensus reached on the next incumbent by December end.
Rajnath Singh is likely to relinquish office sometime in January, though officially his term would come to an end on December 31.
With the four senior leaders from Delhi being ruled out for the top post, sources said Deputy Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj succeeding Advani would be a “logical move”.
Arun Jaitley has already been appointed as Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha. However, Rajnath Singh’s role after he completes his term as party president is yet to be decided.
