As the BJP picked up the pieces to rebuild its state party unit, it announced the nomination of Vijay Harish Chandra Patel, son of late Speaker Harish Chandra Patel, as the party's candidate for the Lok Sabha by-election from Gandhinagar.
The junior Patel helped the party's managers to get his father's signatures on crucial decisions during the messy wrangle over the split in the party a few weeks ago.
The prestigious Gandhinagar seat was earlier represented by BJP president L K Advani. In the 1996 Lok Sabha elections, former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee won from both Lucknow and Gandhinagar. He vacate the latter.
Party leaders said they would now try to wean away MLAs who now suport Rashtriya Janata party leader Shankersinh Vaghela. There were at least 15 MLAs in the Vaghela camp who were fence sitters and they could be easily won over by the BJP, he claimed.
Addressing the press yesterday, party general secretary Venkaiah Naidu charged Governor Singh with having lied about having given an earlier report to the Centre, recommending President's rule before the report on the basis of which its government in the state was dismissed on Thursday.
Saying that Singh had played a partisan role in the Gujarat crisis, Naidu pointed out Raj Bhavan had denied press reports last weekend that Singh had recommended President's rule.
Gupta had told reporters on Thursday the Centre did not act on the first recommendation of the governor.
He also sought to highlight the past opposition of parties like the Janata Dal, the TDP, the DMK and the Left to Article 356.
He said it had become obvious the Left parties were a part of the