Uma camp guns for Gaur

The BJP leadership8217;s efforts to turn attention away from infighting within and focus on the electoral battle in Bihar is under strain w...

The BJP leadership8217;s efforts to turn attention away from infighting within and focus on the electoral battle in Bihar is under strain with intra-party problems in both Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan coming out in the open even before the poll campaign gets under way.

Party spokesman Prakash Javadekar today denied reports that Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Babulal Gaur would be replaced by Uma Bharati in late November after the Bihar polls. No such decision was taken at a meeting of party general secretaries last Saturday, Javadekar said.

But party sources confirmed that Gaur had 8216;8216;lost the confidence8217;8217; of the central leadership and it was only a matter of time before he was served marching orders. Gaur8217;s 8216;8216;hobnobbing8217;8217; with Congress leader Kamal Nath, who was given a state government plane to travel to Pakistan, and his insistence on travelling to the US despite being advised not to do so are being cited as some of the reasons for his fall.

That Gaur was among the first leaders to speak out against Advani8217;s pro-Jinnah remarks has also worked against him. Taking advantage of the situation, the Bharati camp has been actively seeking his removal before Advani demits office in December.

But Bharati, sources said, may be spoiling her chances by jumping the gun too soon. Party leaders have made it clear that any change of leadership would take place only after the Bihar elections and have given no guarantee that Bharati is Gaur8217;s automatic replacement. The 8216;8216;selective leaks8217;8217; by the Bharati camp on the MP situation ahead of the Bihar polls could, therefore, work to her disadvantage, sources said.

While dissidence in BJP-ruled Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Jharkhand is nothing new, Rajasthan has become a new entrant in the field. CM Vasundhara Raje is under fire from at least two ministers8212;Ghanshyam Das Tiwari and Narpat Singh Rajvi8212;for bypassing the cabinet on handing over land for projects.

Since Tiwari is close to state BJP chief Lalit Kishore Chaturvedi and Rajvi is the son-in-law of Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, their anti-CM noises are being seen as part of a larger plot. Raje, Chaturvedi and Kalraj Mishra, who is Rajasthan 8216;prabhari8217;, met Advani this evening, ostensibly to discuss organisational elections in the state.