LK Advani will resign as the leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha by December or early next year. As of now, he is set to quit when the term of the BJP President Rajnath Singh ends in January. Advani will be accommodated in a ceremonial role as the chairman of the National Democratic Alliance.
Uncertainty persists over the role of Rajnath Singh after he ceases to be the party president. It has been put to Singh that he should accept the position of deputy leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha under Sushma Swaraj who would move up as the leader of the opposition upon Advani’s resignation. Singh is resisting the idea.
He has, however, been told that if Venkaiah Naidu, a former BJP President, could accept the position of deputy leader of the opposition in the Rajya Sabha under Arun Jaitley, there was no loss of prestige involved in his accepting the deputy’s post under Swaraj.