BJP will decide on leader of opposition soon: Party leader

Days after the Rajasthan poll results, the opposition BJP is yet to decide on who would lead it in the state assembly.

The result for the Rajasthan elections was declared on December 11.

"We will take a decision soon. We will talk to (former Rajasthan chief minister) Vasundhara Raje, BJP state president Madan Lal Saini said Wednesday.

The Congress won 99 seats in the Rajasthan elections emerging as the single largest party in the state assembly polls.

Chief Minister Ashok Ghelot had recently expanded his council of ministers by inducting 23 ministers. But their portfolios are yet to be decided.

The party is in no hurry to decide its Leader of Opposition and is waiting for the next move of outgoing chief minister Raje, a party leader said, on the condition of anonymity.

Raje was in New Delhi on Wednesday.

The BJP will hold a meeting soon to decide on who would be the leader of opposition, a party spokesperson said.

The ruling Congress is yet to decide on distribution of ministerial portfolios. The ruling party is generally in a hurry, but in this case, its decisions are stuck between Jaipur and New Delhi, he alleged.

BJP legislators will decide their leader of opposition in the meeting, the spokesperson said.

BJP sources said the central leadership has not been able to establish an alternative for Raje in the last five years, though it had names of Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Arjun Ram Meghwal and Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore on its mind.

In 2008, Raje was chosen as leader of opposition, even as her rivals had then alleged that she had remained abroad during her tenure as BJP state president.

The BJP made a come back in the state after five years in 2013 with a record 163 seats of the 200 assembly seats.

Political observers said Raje is the sole candidate for the post of leader of opposition in the state as most BJP legislators are in her favour to lead the party in the assembly.

Tension between Raje and the BJP central leadership was in the open on selection of a new state party chief, distribution of tickets for the assembly elections, BJP sources said.

They said as the Lok Sabha election are near, the BJP leadership will not make any changes.