Bangaru Laxman files nomination papers

Bangaru filed 11 sets of nomination papers, including 10, signed by various state units. The first set of nomination papers was signed by Vajpayee, Home Minister Advani and HRD Minister M M Joshi, besides others on behalf of the BJP Parliamentary Party.

It was a riot of colour and music that set the stage for the nomination ceremony. Many local Dalit BJP workers came to greet the rise of a fellow-Dalit to the top BJP post. And they brought with them a lot of vermillion, dry colours and, of course, brass bands. “It is the most colourful nomination ceremony for BJP presidentship ever held,” commented a senior party leader.

The other 10 sets of nomination papers were signed by party leaders from Bangaru’s home-state, Andhra Pradesh, and others including Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Orissa, Himachal Pradesh, West Bengal, Delhi, Punjab and Maharashtra.

As per the BJP constitution, a presidential candidate’s nomination should be supported by at least 20 active members from any five states. By evening, 15 sets of nomination papers had been submitted to returning officer Om Prakash Kohli, all supporting Bangaru, who is likely to be declared unanimously elected by August 8.

The entire who’s who of the BJP attended the ceremony. Besides outgoing party president Kushabhau Thakre, those present included vice-presidents J P Mathur, Jana Krishnamurthy and Kailashpati Mishra, general secretaries M Venkaiah Naidu, K N Govindacharya, Sanghpriya Gautam and Narendra Modi, secretaries Pyare Lal Khadenlwal, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi and treasurer Ved Prakash Goel, and senior leaders Sushma Swaraj and Sikandar Bakht.

The Government was represented by Power Minister P R Kumarmangalam, Tourism Minister Ananth Kumar, Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha, External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pramod Mahajan.