Assembly polls in Rajnath focus

Putting the focus on crucial organisational issues that need urgent attention in the wake of the series of Assembly elections this year, BJP president Rajnath Singh met Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj on Wednesday.

While Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley met Singh on Sunday, the BJP chief was learnt to have also touched base with former party president M Venkaiah Naidu.

The leadership issue in poll-bound Rajasthan figures high on Singh's agenda. The BJP president is learnt to have asked Jaitley and Swaraj to "clinch" a workable solution acceptable to rival factions before the Assembly elections later this year.

Jaitley, who was entrusted the responsibility by former party president Nitin Gadkari, has reportedly worked out a potential solution with former Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje at the centre of the party's electoral strategy. The party is hoping to convince her detractors.

One of the immediate issues that needs finalisation is the schedule for the party's National Council meeting, which must ratify Singh's appointment as party president.

Sources in the party revealed that the BJP core group will meet on Friday to finalise the venue and schedule for the meeting.

A date in mid-February is being considered, but a section of the party's leadership is learnt to have suggested deferring the meeting to sometime in March or April.

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