New Delhi: The relegation of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s old guard — comprising founder member L.K. Advani and party veteran Murli Manohar Joshi — is now complete. The two leaders, ThePrint has learnt, are not scheduled to address even a single rally in the campaign for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
This, after the party made it clear that it was not handing them tickets for the general elections and kept them out of the ceremony where the BJP’s manifesto for the polls was unveiled.
BJP sources told ThePrint that neither the central party unit nor any of the state units have approached the two leaders from the Margdarshak Mandal (council of elders) to campaign on their behalf.
“There has been no demand by any state unit for these leaders to campaign in their respective states,” a party source said.
Sources close to Advani confirmed that he has also not been approached by the party leadership to be a part of the poll campaign.
“Even in the list of star campaigners, the names of Advani and Joshi are missing,” said a senior party leader. “In campaigners’ list for Gujarat, the state from where Advani had been contesting, his name doesn’t feature. Even in the lists of respective states, the names of both the leaders are missing.”
As for Joshi, a BJP source confirmed that he has not been consulted on any issue regarding the 2019 campaign. “He has not been kept on the list of star campaigners,” the source said. “The message to him is loud and clear. It means the party doesn’t want to use him.”
Also read: BJP faces ‘age-old’ poll quandary — whether or not to field veterans Advani, Joshi
Had campaigned extensively till 2014
Sources said that in contrast, the two senior leaders were extensively used by the party for canvassing across the country till the 2014 Lok Sabha polls.
Advani is credited with single-handedly establishing the BJP across the Hindi heartland, particularly after his rath yatra in the ’90s. Over the past two decades, he has been one of the most visible BJP leaders and star campaigners during elections.
In these elections, however, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is the most sought after leader by all state units. Apart from Modi, other leaders who are also in demand include Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, BJP president Amit Shah and senior leaders such as Rajnath Singh, Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley.
Also read: Unlike Vajpayee & Advani, gen next BJP leaders groomed by Modi-Shah don’t look promising
“Now they’re both out of BJP’s Lok Sabha poll campaign”
They are out of BJP’s Lok Sabha poll campaign only.But they are campaigning. Not for BJP but for the opposition, with their hearts and souls..And who knows even physically at some stage.