BJP meets to see start of the Advani era

The BJP's National Executive and National Council meetings between January 27 and 29 will see the official end of the Atal Bihari Vajpayee era and the beginning of LK Advani's ascension to the top spot in the party's unofficial hierarchy.

Vajpayee will not attend the three-day programme. But more significantly, the party will unveil campaign slogans revolving around Advani.

"NDA aur Advani Raj, Suraksha, Samriddhi aur Suraaj ( NDA and Advani rule means security, prosperity and good governance)" being an example.

The National Executive on January 27 and the National Council on January 28 and 29 will be focused on the coming Assembly elections and the general elections next year.

The National Council will felicitate Advani, the party's official prime ministerial candidate at a ceremony at New Delhi's Ram Lila ground on January 29.

"There will be resolutions on the political situation in the country, the state of the economy and agriculture and on issues of faith like the Ram Setu," said BJP Vice-President Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi.

Party General Secretary Sushma Swaraj, given more importance in the new equations in the party, will talk about the NDA and extending the ambit of the alliance.

She will also introduce an amendment to the party's constitution reserving one-third of all organisational seats for women.

The political resolution will be drafted by General Secretary Arun Jaitley while Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu will draft the resolution on agriculture.

The special resolution by Murli Manohar Joshi on Ram Setu is also a signal that Advani is anxious to balance all forces in the party.

Over 4,000 delegates from all over the country will attend the events.