In a practice to halt the speculations regarding the leadership tussle within the party, L K Advani expressed hope that Vajpayee will be back to lead the party again. During his address to valedictory session of the National Executive, Advani said that he felt grateful about Vajpayee’s message to the party that before long he would be “in our midst”.

He said:

Let us all pray that this happens very soon and he continues to lead and guide us as in the past.

Advani later said that this has happened for the first time that Vajpayee had skipped party’s National Executive because of his health problems. The party workers and office bearers naturally feel distressed about this.

Vajpayee’s absence, in the midst of the speculation of mid-term election in the country, has raised the leadership issue within the party. Health problems have forced the former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee to take a brake from active politics.

Vajpayee has skipped the BJP’s national executive meeting in Bhopal for the first time in many years. His absence from the executive meeting has forced party workers to discuss that after Vajpayee, who would be prime ministerial candidate from BJP?

Leader of Opposition Lal Krishna Advani is not the natural choice for many leaders such as Yashwant Sinha but the veteran leader enjoys great mass support tan any other leader within the party.

Jaswant Singh said that Advani is the tallest leader after Vajpayee and hence he is the natural choice for the post of the prime minister from BJP. Bangaru Laxman said that nobody could question Advani’s credibility in national politics.

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