Rajnath to be UP BJP chief

A reshuffle of some state Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chiefs seems to be in the offing and party president LK Advani may use the opportunity to put the seal of his leadership on party affairs once and for all.

Advani's favourite Rajnath Singh may soon be sent to take over the reins of the party in UP as the current state unit chief K N Tripathi is having limited success with a number of BJP workers switching to the Samajwadi Party.

"In MP, Kailash Joshi is completing his term, where Advani will be appointing his man," said a senior leader.

Meanwhile, leaders and workers in Madhya Pradesh were astounded by Sushma Swaraj's visit to Bhopal where she declared that "the party had not remained silent on Uma Bharati."

"Sushma Swaraj has avoided Madhya Pradesh till now and there is more to her visit to Uma's bastion than meets the eye, especially with Venkaiah Naidu in tow," said the senior leader.

Ever since BJP vice-president Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said on Saturday that the party would be led into the next general elections by a new leader, and former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee said on Sunday that the saffron outfit would from now on be contesting elections under Advani's leadership, party circles were rife with rumours that important organisational changes were the offing.

As a result, second-rung leaders have begun jockeying for better positions.