Differences in BJP over party leadership

Efforts are thus on to build consensus on one of the three leaders in the fray – senior-most vice-president Jana Krishnamurthy, general secretary M Venkaiah Naidu and former Union minister Sushma Swaraj. All presidents of the BJP and its earlier avtar, Jan Sangh since its inception in 1951, have been "elected" through consensus.

The formal election of BJP’s national president is expected after two months but informal discussions are alreadyon among the top rung of the party on Thakre’s likely successor. Former Delhi BJP president Om Prakash Kohli has already been appointed returning officer for the presidential polls in the party.

Of the three contenders, Naidu has opted himself out by pleading that he did not consider himself "experienced enough" for the top job. Naidu was initially a member of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, an Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh outfit before moving on to BJP’s youth wing in 1980.

While Krishnamurthy, himself a former RSS pracharak, enjoys unstinted support of the RSS, an unstated pre-requisite for the top BJP slot, Sushma too has good rapport with a section of the Sangh.

Krishnamurthy however, has emerged as a moderate BJP leader by piloting the Chennai declaration – prepared reportedly at PM’s instance – besides stoutly joining issue with the party hawks over its various clauses at recently held BJP national council in Chennai.

The BJP vice-president was the first one in the BJP to contradictAdvani’s statement claiming release of three dreaded terrorists as per condition of the hijackers of Indian Airlines plane to Kandahar had tarred the BJP’s image.

"The hijacking incident has not affected BJP’s nationalist image because the BJP-led Government took the best decision possible in the available circumstances," Krishnamurthy said at a press conference, once again endearing himself to Vajpayee.

Sushma on the other hand, is a mass leader, with her popularity cutting across state boundaries and rank and file of the party. Her career has taken a blow ever since she was appointed Delhi Chief Minister a year and a half ago and failed to lead the party to victory in Assembly polls held soon after her taking over.

When Vajpayee did not induct her in the Union Cabinet after she lost from Bellary against Sonia Gandhi, it was perceived in the party as his personal annoyance with her.

The BJP’s organisation elections are presently in progress at municipal and panchayat level. The electoral college forpresidential poll, the national council members, will be elected by May 8, a senior BJP leader said.