(Left to right) BJP leader Karia Munda, state party president Yadunath Pandey, Jharkhand in-charge Sumitra Mahajan and chief minister Arjun Munda at an office-bearers? meeting in Ranchi on Thursday. Picture by Ashok Karan

Ranchi, July 13: BJP leaders eager to see the back of Yadunath Pandey will have to wait for some more time as Jharkhand in-charge Sumitra Mahajan glossed over the issue of a change of guard and did not give any indication that the state chief?s wings would be clipped.

During hour-long deliberations with office-bearers at the BJP headquarters here, Mahajan instead chose to discuss ways in which to strengthen the organisation in the state and work in a cohesive manner to instil confidence among the grassroots-level workers.

Pandey-baiters, who had been waiting for some announcement in their favour, returned disappointed. Mahajan did not say anything about the formation of a core committee comprising five senior BJP leaders, a proposal that has been doing the rounds for quite some time. ?We are apprehensive that the high command is not in favour of forming such a panel at this juncture,? top party sources said.

The anti-Pandey faction has been demanding his removal from the post of state party president for over six months, accusing him of weakening the organisation.

They had mooted a proposal for formation of a core committee to assist Pandey in overseeing the party?s functioning till the new state chief is elected. The poll is due in three months.

The game plan of the dissidents was that once the core committee was formed, the president would not be able to take decisions without consulting the panel members.

?When these leaders met senior party leaders about a month back in Delhi and mooted this proposal, they were told that Mahajan would visit Jharkhand shortly and take a decision on the issue. But so far nothing of that sort has happened,? sources informed.