To a pointed question on if he would accept the PM position, should there be a clamour for his name, he said: “I will only talk about my plans to contest Lok Sabha elections right now.”

Asked if he would also be meeting Advani apart from Vajpayee, Shekhawat said: “Yes... I have been meeting them, so what’s the big deal about it?”

Shekhawat’s announcement that he was open to contesting elections, at a function in Kota three days ago, has had the party abuzz. The senior leader is known for his across-the-board acceptability and his deftness in sewing up disparate coalitions. Many in the party believe he is “cut up with the Rajasthan BJP”, and this may have prompted the move to return to active politics. Shekhawat, however, told this paper he was worried about “bigger issues facing the country, like terrorism, and wanted to fight corruption and influence of money in politics”.