Senior BJP leaders upset, may skip Munda's swearing-in

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Jharkhand Mukthi Morcha (JMM) alliance in Jharkhand seems to have split the senior BJP leadership. Most senior BJP leaders are likely to skip the swearing-in of Arjun Munda as the next chief minister of the state on September 11.

BJP insiders indicated that only Rajnath Singh would be present in Ranchi to be part of the ceremony, while LK Advani, Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley will stay away.

BJP president Nitin Gadkari is on a visit to Russia and expected to return on September 12 — a day after the ceremony. Sources said Gadkari’s absence does not have much significance because he, along with the RSS, had been instrumental in pitching for Munda as the chief ministerial candidate.

During the discussions for government formation in Jharkhand, Advani had suggested Yashwant Sinha’s name for the job of chief minister because he believed that the state desperately needs someone who has the acumen and experience to run a statewide administration. Being a former finance and foreign minister, Sinha fulfills the requirements for the post.

Swaraj on the other hand had suggested that going by past experience with the JMM, the BJP must not form a government. Instead the party should prepare its members for another round of elections in the state.

However, after much deliberations Gadkari finally took charge of the situation and decided to personally call Raghuvar Das, who was chairman of the Legislative Party in Jharkhand, and asked him to vacate the post for Munda.

The high-handedness of the party president did not go down well with the three senior leaders and they have all decided to stay away citing personal reasons for their absence.