October 21: Vijay Goel addresses a press conference in Delhi
44 days before Delhi votes, the BJP finds its plan to wrest the national capital away from the Congress in some disarray thanks to a leadership crisis. Party president Rajnath Singh and BJP's Delhi in charge Nitin Gadkari are attempting urgent fire-fighting.
The party hopes to announce the name of it's candidate for Delhi chief minster soon so that it's campaign has a face to counter three-time chief minister Shiela Dikshit of the Congress.
The problem is that Vijay Goel, a BJP man who has been waiting in the wings for many years, is said to be in a deep sulk over talk that the party leadership could pick another senior leader and former Delhi Minister Harsh Vardhan to project as its candidate for Chief Minister.
Mr Goel, who claims to enjoy the support of the party's grassroots workers in Delhi, has denied that he has threatened to quit the party if he is not announced the BJP's presumptive Chief Minster, but sources say he has made his displeasure clear to the top leaders, who are now attempting to convince him to back down.
"I have never threatened to resign....In the past eight months I have neither named myself or anyone else. The parliamentary board has to decide on who'll be the chief minister," Mr Goel said today, also adding that, "we need to decide quickly on the allocation of ticket for the Vidhan Sabha."
Dr Harsh Vardhan is said to be favoured by many in the party for his clean image and reputation as an efficient administrator.
The BJP's parliamentary board, made up of its 12 top leaders, including Rajnath Singh and Nitin Gadkari and others like Narendra Modi, LK Advani and Sushma Swaraj, is expected to meet this week and decide on who will lead the party in Delhi.
The party has not been in power in the capital for the past 15 years and is said to see its best chance yet to stage a comeback in the assembly elections be held on December 4. In such, it can ill-afford rebellion or a leadership struggle.
It also has to contend with, for the first time, a third angle in Delhi, which has hitherto seen straight contests between the BJP and the Congress. Arvind Kejriwal's new Aam Aadmi Party is set to make its election debut and could spring some nasty surprises for both sides.