Arun Jaitley, leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha and elected to that House by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) from Gujarat, might opt to re-contest from Bihar instead, when his tenure comes to an end on April 2.
And, senior party leaders say BJP president Nitin Gadkari should get another term at the top post, with a decision to amend the BJP’s constitution in this regard being taken in April-end or May, when its national executive meets, followed by a possible meeting of the party's national council. The constitution disallows a consecutive three-year term at the top post.
“Most of the BJP leaders on the view that the three-year term is not enough,” said a senior leader.
Continuous support of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) to Gadkari is being seen as the main reason for the leadership to amend the constitution.
Gadkari was made president with RSS approval in December 2009, over other contenders, such as Jaitley, Sushma Swaraj, Ananth Kumar and Venkaiah Naidu.
“It is felt that Gadkari should get one more term for the work he has done,” the leader added.
A large section of the party is reportedly “upset, annoyed and hurt” by the recent decision of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi to not take part in the national executive meet in Delhi, and to remain absent from the recent election campaigns in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Punjab. Vinay Sahasraddhe, political advisor to the BJP president, is likely to get a Rajya Sabha ticket from Madhya Pradesh and party spokesperson Nirmala Sitharaman could debut in the House from Gujarat.
The final decisions are likely on Friday, when the party’s parliamentary board is to meet.
