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Advani emerges as BJP's leader no.1

George Iype in New Delhi

It may be Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee who is now basking under the glory of India's military and diplomatic victory against Pakistan in Kargil, but in the Bharatiya Janata Party, it is neither Vajpayee nor party president Kushabhau Thakre who are in control of the crucial Lok Sabha elections. Home Minister L K Advani is completely in charge of leading the BJP at the hustings.

BJP leaders say Thakre has been completely "sidelined" and many believe he would soon become another Sitaram Kesri, who went into oblivion after Sonia Gandhi usurped the Congress leadership after the 1998 Lok Sabha elections.

Though he is the party president, Thakre is neither heading the campaign committee nor is he anywhere near the National Democratic Alliance led by the BJP.

It is Advani who will steer the BJP as well as the NDA during the forthcoming elections as he is the chairman of the BJP's national campaign and election management committee and NDA's election manifesto committee.

BJP will not have a separate election manifesto this year, but will share its poll plank with the alliance partners. Those who are helping Advani draft the manifesto include Vajpayee's best friends in the government -- External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh and Defence Minister George Fernandes.

Some say by distancing Thakre from all the important election committees, Advani and Vajpayee have effectively clipped his wings, especially in the selection of candidates. In the past, the BJP president headed either the election campaign committee or the manifesto committee.

"The main problem is that Thakre is unimaginative and ineffective. He can never be our star campaign leader as he does not have the stature of Vajpayee or Advani," a BJP functionary pointed out.

But he stated that there has never been even a murmur of protest from the BJP president. "The nice thing is that there is an understanding between Advani, Vajpayee and Thakre that the present set up is the best means to lead the party to an election victory," he added.

As Advani has started functioning from his newly-furnished office in the BJP headquarters in New Delhi, many feel the home minister's control over the party has considerably increased though Vajpayee is being projected as the prime ministerial candidate.

BJP insiders say most party leaders now consider Advani as the boss of the party because there is a new-found, wide acceptability for him within the party. Also, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh fully supports Advani taking control of the party during polls.

Interestingly, many of the NDA partners who disliked Advani and distanced themselves from his hardcore Hindutva brand of politics now consider the home minister to be the best bet in the elections.

According to Samata Party leader Digvijay Singh, as a party leader, Advani is more efficient than anyone else in the BJP. "The coalition partners trust in his ability to organise election matters better than anyone," Singh told rediff.com.

"Advani is now as widely acceptable as Vajpayee among the coalition partners. But Vajpayee is always our prime ministerial choice," he added.

BJP leaders suggest two reasons for the change in Advani's image since the last general elections in March, 1999. First, despite the reported disagreements and differences of views between Advani and Vajpayee on many subjects last year, many believe Advani has always remained loyal to Vajpayee.

Second, BJP leaders and NDA partners accept that it was Advani who made the BJP a potent electoral force all these years. "In organisational matters and fighting elections, there is no one as capable as Advani. Therefore, everyone accepts that he is the ablest person to lead the party," a BJP leader said stating that the BJP does not want to take any chances under Thakre. "We are therefore putting our trust and faith in Advani," he added.

According to him, Advani who hard-sold BJP's Hindutva agenda for many years now has changed because India is in for coalition governments at the Centre.

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