New Delhi, December 17
The BJP has eventually decided to effect its change of guard in the next few days. The party is planning to decide upon Nitin Gadkari as its next president on December 19 and the elevation of Sushma Swaraj as the Leader of Opposition, upon the conclusion of the winter session of Parliament on December 21.

BJP spokesman Prakash Javadekar said here today, “Everything will complete before Christmas and on that day you will only witness the celebration of (former Prime Minister Atal Bihari) Vajpayee’s birthday at his residence.”

Earlier BJP deputy leader in the Rajya Sabha S.S. Ahluwalia stated that the BJP parliamentary board had been summoned to meet on December 19 and decide about the president.

The term of BJP president Rajnath Singh ends on December 23 and he was reportedly keen to hand over charge to Nitin Gadkari that day or even before that. Now the party has confirmed that the parliamentary board has been summoned to meet on December 19 to decide on the issue.

The change of guard in the parliamentary party may take place immediately thereafter, most probably on December 21, which would be the last day of the winter session of Parliament.

Sources indicated that it has been decided to amend the BJP parliamentary party constitution on the lines of the Congress party creating the post of chairman of the parliamentary party for Sonia Gandhi. Such a post Advani is likely to occupy if he announces relinquishing his present post of leader of parliamentary party on December 21.

Javadekar explained, “The parliamentary party is fully empowered to take any decisions concerning this body and also effect any amendment in its constitution, without seeking any approval from any other party fora.” He also explained that the parliamentary party can effect any changes in a single sitting of the parliamentary party, implying that the change of guard in the BJP parliamentary party may be decided on December 21 itself.

In the event of Advani agreeing to quit the post of leader of parliamentary party, current deputy leader in the Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj is being tipped to be elected to this post and his other camp follower Ananth Kumar may then be elevated to the post of deputy leader in the Lok Sabha.

That leaves out another important leader — former chief minister of Maharashtra Gopinath Munde — who may be asked to head the PAC. Its chairman Jaswant Singh resigned from the post only yesterday and under the Constitution the post has to go to any senior leader BJP nominates.

That would leave out two important leaders, Murli Manohar Joshi and Yashwant Sinha. But Joshi is now considered too old to be given any responsibility when the party is in the “GenNext mode”. As for Sinha, ever since he resigned from party posts in the wake of the BJP defeat in the general elections earlier this year, he has become a sort of persona non grata with the powers that be in the BJP.

When some newspersons asked about reports appearing in a section of media about the impending change on December 21, he laughed and said, “Though he (the reporter concerned) is considered close to me, I did not speak to him,” virtually confirming that the report about the impending change has emanated from his quarters.