Mumbai:
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national executive has approved an amendment to party constitution paving the way for a second term for party President Nitin Gadkari. According to the current BJP constitution, the party President could only have a three-year term; and there was no provision that allowed a BJP President to be re-elected for a second stint.
Mr Gadkari's re-election as the BJP President would mean that he will remain in charge of the party for the Lok Sabha elections in 2014. Sources have told NDTV that Mr Gadkari has the blessings of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
Earlier today, Mr Gadkari gave his party three focus areas to work on as it prepares to make a comeback bid at the Centre in 2014 - expand the National Democratic Alliance, increase the BJP's vote share by 10 per cent, and concentrate efforts on building a base among the poor, the minorities and the Dalits.
Mr Gadkari handed this mantra to partymen at the beginning of the BJP's two-day national executive meet in Mumbai. Party spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad also quoted the BJP chief as reiterating that his party would do nothing politically to destabilise the Congress-led UPA government at the Centre, though the party is very sanguine that it shall soon collapse on its own.
During this crucial meet the party also hopes to finalise its strategy for the July elections that will decide who becomes the next President of India. With the general elections just two years away, the BJP also wants to blueprint its plan of attack against the Congress-led government at the Centre. Most importantly, the party has to prepare for Assembly elections in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh later this year. The BJP rules both those states and must retain them in the run-up to the 2014 General Elections.
So far, however, the meet has been hijacked by dissension and sulks. Hours before it began, Sanjay Joshi, who was re-inducted into the party by Mr Gadkari just months ago, had to resign from the party executive to ensure that Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, who wanted Mr Joshi out, would not stay away from the meet. Mr Joshi reportedly said he was quitting as he did not want to cause division in the party. Mr Modi will now attend the meet.
Having to bow to Mr Modi's pressure is being seen as a big setback for Mr Gadkari, who while welcoming Mr Modi's decision to attend the meet after all, also praised Mr Joshi's large-heartedness. Also, while the RSS supports a second term for Mr Gadkari, there is reportedly serious opposition to that from top leaders in the party, including veteran LK Advani, who is not attending the meet.
Mr Gadkari's leadership skills have also been questioned by some in the recent past. Former Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) leader and a controversial minister in Mayawati's government Babu Singh Kushwaha's induction into the BJP during the assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh reportedly led to some discomfort in the party. There was also a reported tussle within the BJP during the Rajya Sabha polls in Jharkhand along with reports of rebellion within the party in Karnataka and Rajasthan.