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Laxman elected BJP chief

NEW DELHI, Aug 8 (UNI) — Minister of State for Railways Bangaru Laxman has been elected “unopposed” as the fifth BJP President today.

Announcing the results here, returning officer O.P. Kohli said in all 15 sets of papers, including those of Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, Home Minister L.K. Advani and HRD Minister Murli Manohar Joshi, nominating Mr Laxman, were received.

All nominations were found valid after scrutiny this morning.

Mr Laxman is the first Dalit president of the BJP in its 20-year-old history. Later, addressing party workers in the office lawns, Mr Laxman said it was their love and affection that had made him the new president. He hoped that with the same zeal they would cooperate with him in taking the party forward.

He later went to party President Kushabhau Thakre’s room to meet him. In an interview to UNI soon after his election, he said the trend in the recent years of increasing groupism and certain leaders encouraging their own followers was causing a lot of damage to the party and needed to be firmly checked.