Murlidhar meets BJP leaders to evolve consensus on J&K chief

Dinesh Manhotra

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Tribune News Service

Jammu, December 27

Amid intense lobbying by aspirants for the presidentship of the J&K UT BJP, P Murlidhar Rao, national general secretary of the party, interacted with senior leaders to evolve a consensus on a single name.

Rao along with national secretary of the party V Deodhar has been deputed by the high command to take all senior leaders into confidence before finalising the name of the first party president of the J&K UT.

Sources said all senior leaders were not on the same page on the name of the president, so the representatives of the high command were finding it difficult to evolve a consensus. “Throughout the day, both Rao and Deodhar, held a series of meeting with all party leaders. The duo also held one on one meeting with some senior leaders to seek their opinion”, a source said and further revealed that the Centre’s special representatives would submit their report only after interacting with office-bearers of some of the off-shoots of the Sangh Parivar on Saturday.

The sources said serious differences had cropped up among senior leaders on the name of the state president. “Some veteran leaders have warned that imposing a state president by ignoring views of the cadre will prove counterproductive for the party in future”, a source said.

As reported earlier, the BJP high command had deputed Rao to evolve a consensus on the name of the first president, after taking all senior leaders into confidence.

Deputing Rao the work is significant, as he has shaped the political careers of many senior leaders of local BJP during his tenure as the organisation’s secretary of the J&K ABVP in 1990s.

During his two-day visit to Jammu, on December 27 and 28, Rao will hold interaction with senior leaders, including MPs, former legislators and ex-ministers, to seek their opinion about the final name of the president.

The sources said a formal announcement date for the election of the party will be announced after Murlidhar Rao submits his report to the high command.