New Delhi, Feb. 11: The BJP is grappling with a tough question a year ahead of general elections: who should be Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s successor?

As candidate from Lucknow, that is.

Nobody seems to have the answer. Many say it is up to Vajpayee himself to name his replacement.

Vajpayee’s aides in the constituency want the big man to contest again whatever the state of his health. But the former Prime Minister has ruled that option out and even the party leadership is convinced he will not be physically strong enough.

So the BJP - which has settled one succession question by choosing L.K. Advani as shadow Prime Minister -- is weighing its options. It knows the seat cannot be taken lightly no matter how weak the party is in Uttar Pradesh.

It’s certain that the candidate will be a senior leader, not only because Lucknow is Vajpayee’s seat but also because the contest has the potential to motivate party workers across the state.

The names under discussion include Murli Manohar Joshi and Rajnath Singh. Local leaders such as Lalji Tandon and Kalraj Mishra are also seen as contenders.

Sources said Joshi, who lost from Allahabad last time, is no longer interested in that constituency. As a prominent Brahmin leader, he would like to step into Vajpayee’s shoes in Lucknow.

But there are hurdles in his way. A win from Lucknow will raise his profile in the party - a possibility unpalatable to shadow Prime Minister L.K. Advani’s camp. It would rather have someone with less clout, like Tandon, who has been nursing the seat for Vajpayee for a long time.

Lucknow’s caste profile, however, is not favourable to the BJP and around a fourth of its voters are Muslim. So the party is likely to struggle without a high-profile candidate.

Rajnath has his own backers. The party president and former chief minister will certainly be a strong candidate and he, too, would like to enhance his stature by representing a seat identified with Vajpayee.

But Rajnath’s political career is built on his image as a leader from the rural belt who is concerned about farmers. So he’ll have to decide if he wants to contest a posh urban seat.

Some leaders want Sushma Swaraj. “Sushma can be an able replacement (for Vajpayee). She is a Brahmin, a good orator and can fire up the whole electoral scene in the state,” a BJP official said.

But Sushma is not keen to contest from a state where the party is not doing well. She has the important job of co-ordination with the allies and so, if she contests the polls at all, would prefer a safer seat in Delhi.