Vasundhara Raje steps down as Rajasthan Leader of Opposition

Former Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje today resigned as Leader of Opposition in Rajasthan Assembly after having defied the party high command for nearly three months.

The 56-year-old Raje submitted her resignation to senior party leader L K Advani, hours before a meeting of the party's Parliamentary Board which was expected to take up the issue, sources close to her said.

The Parliamentary Board meeting was convened amid indications that the party high command was contemplating disciplinary action against Raje, who had been defying a directive to step down as Leader of Opposition in Rajasthan.

The party high command had asked Raje, in August, to take moral responsibility for BJP's defeat in the Lok Sabha and the state assembly polls and step down from the post.

She, however, had defied the directive and indulged in dilly-dallying tactics.

The party had nominated senior party leader M Venkaiah Naidu in September, to talk to her and persuade her to follow the party diktat. But Raje did not meet him for days, saying she was unwell.

Subsequently, the party nominated another senior leader Sushma Swaraj to persuade Raje to step down but the Rajasthan BJP leader did not meet her despite an appointment scheduled for October 20.

Party sources added Raje is unlikely to be rehabilitated at the central level because of her defiance.