In Advani cloud,Joshi sees own silver lining

Uncertainty gripped the BJP after its defeat in the elections with party leaders failing to convince Advani to reconsider his decision not to be the next Leader of Opposition,sparking off a race among senior leaders for the post.

Uncertainty gripped the BJP a day after its defeat in the Lok Sabha elections with party leaders failing to convince L K Advani to reconsider his decision not to be the next Leader of Opposition,sparking off a race among senior leaders for the post. Not seen in public ever since the results,Advani,sources said,may even stay away from decision-making bodies like the party parliamentary board. In effect,opt out of active politics and play the role of friend-philosopher-guide to the party like Atal Behari Vajpayee something which Murli Manohar Joshi,who is pitching hard to be the Opposition leader,even said today to CNN-IBN.

Joshi also told reporters today: I have never shied from any responsibility given to me by the party in the past. Other contenders for the post include Sushma Swaraj and Jaswant Singh.

Sushma Swaraj,speaking in Bhopal,sought to argue that the very thought of taking over as Leader of Opposition while Advani was still around was painful. On the other hand,sources close to Jaswant Singh,who was Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha before his election from Darjeeling,argued that he could not be expected to work under someone who has been his deputy a reference to Sushma Swaraj in Rajya Sabha. A final decision on this is expected to be taken in a couple of days.

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BJP leaders Rajnath Singh,Arun Jaitley,Venkaiah Naidu,Ram Lal,Balbir Punj,Kalraj Mishra,Varun Gandhi and Maneka Gandhi met Advani through the day,but found him firm on the decision. The RSS troika of Bhaiyyaji Joshi,Madan Das Devi and Suresh Soni too met him over lunch.

Advani will interact with BJP chief ministers and NDA leaders tomorrow and discuss the future course of action. He is also likely to make an announcement. Sources close to Advani said he may also attend the dinner being hosted by the President tomorrow.

The RSS has said that it would regard Advanis decision as final in this matter,but it has also found merit in the talk of generational change in politics. A senior RSS leader told The Indian Express that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi may have clicked with the youth of the country,an idea that the BJP cannot overlook.

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