No end to tussle over BJP president

Efforts continued on Friday to build a consensus on the name of the Rajasthan BJP president with a flurry of meetings in the national capital between the state and central leadership.

Meetings were held through the day between various leaders. Chief minister Vasundhara Raje, who has been in Delhi since Tuesday evening, met BJP MP Kirori Lal Meena. She then held a three-hour-long meeting with Rajasthan MP and senior leader Om Mathur, who was seen as mediating in the entire episode. Mathur met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP national president Amit Shah before meeting Raje.

Sources said the central leadership is firm on Jodhpur MP Gajendra Singh Shekhawat’s name, which Raje has been opposing. Efforts have been on to break the stalemate, but it has now become an issue of prestige and neither side wants to back down.

On Thursday, Raje had met BJP national president Amit Shah and union home minister Rajnath Singh, brought in to try and build consensus.

The vexed issue of the BJP state president has dogged the party leadership for two months after Ashok Parnami tendered his resignation on April 16 following the rout of the BJP in three bypolls.

After Shekhawat’s name was put forward by the central leadership for the post of state party president, Raje had voiced her opposition saying that appointing Shekhawat, a Rajput, alienShekhawat, ate the politically dominant Jat community. However, insiders say, Raje is apprehensive that Singh might become her competitor.

Over the past two months, several meetings were held between the high command, Raje and state leaders to arrive at an agreement. Other names were also proposed by Raje, but did not find favour with the high command.

Shah and the RSS are backing 54, who is a staunch swayamsevak. He is seen as a young and clean face. Though he has not been very active in the state or the organisation, of late he has been touring the state and meeting people.

Sources said that to balance the caste equation, the central leadership will accommodate leaders from all castes on the election committee. Senior leader Satish Poonia, a Jat, minister Arun Chaturvedi, a Brahmin, and union minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, a scheduled Caste could be part of the team.

Poonia and Chaturvedi too were in Delhi on Friday and met senior BJP and RSS leaders.

Efforts were on to reach a consensus over the name of the state party chief after the RSS nudged leaders to end discord within the party.

JAIPUR: SOURCES SAID THE CENTRAL LEADERSHIP IS FIRM ON JODHPUR MP GAJENDRA SINGH SHEKHAWAT’S NAME, WHICH RAJE HAS BEEN OPPOSING