Naidu: Miffed?

New Delhi, Dec. 21: M. Venkaiah Naidu has suddenly declared himself out of the running for party president, setting the stage for a fresh round of speculation.

Accosted by reporters on his way out from Parliament today, an agitated Naidu refused to acknowledge compliments on the prospect of his taking over from L.K. Advani, who is to quit the post by the end of this month.

Though the RSS has made plain its preference for former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Rajnath Singh, the consensus in the BJP in recent weeks has been that Naidu should get the job.

Advani himself is known to favour Naidu and many second-rung leaders, too, have agreed to see him appointed for a year before the party settles on a “long-term” candidate. But the former BJP chief is apparently miffed at being projected as a “stop-gap” arrangement.

“I am not in the running for the job,” Naidu said today. “I have let this be known to the party leaders.”

BJP insiders argue that on “technical grounds”, too, it would be appropriate for Naidu to lead the party for one year. The reason is that he had been elected party president in July 2002 for three years but had his term cut short by a year when Advani, after the May 2004 election defeat, decided to take over the party’s reins.

“Technically, Naidu should complete his tenure before the next president is appointed for three years,” a senior leader said.

If Naidu sticks to his words, it might prompt the Sangh to press Rajnath’s case. The key, BJP sources say, lies with Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

The former Prime Minister’s decision to join the “nyay yatra”, an event organised by Rajnath, is being seen as a sign that he, too, is partial to the Sangh favourite.

But some others, too, are angling for Vajpayee’s support. Pramod Mahajan has lined up a grand celebration of Vajpayee’s completion of “a thousand moons” on January 14.

The event is being organised on such a grand scale that the BJP has even invited Sonia Gandhi, apart from the President and Prime Minister.

Vajpayee, however, is keeping his cards close to his chest.

For instance, Murali Manohar Joshi’s sudden burst of enthusiasm is being seen by some as an indication that he might have gained some sort of “assurance” from the former Prime Minister. Joshi propounded his views on India’s stand in the World Trade Organisation ministerial conference with great vigour today. His appearance on the scene is likely to cause concern, particularly in the Advani camp.

Whatever the result of Naidu’s announcement, the BJP’s upcoming silver jubilee meeting in Mumbai is bound to hum with speculation about who is going to be the next president.