New Delhi: With the postponement of polls
for Rajasthan BJP Chief till February, Vasundhara Raje has
also got a breather and will continue as Leader of Opposition
in the state assembly till its budget session starts next
year.
Party sources said, BJP President Nitin Gadkari did not
pressurise Raje to quit now as Leader of Opposition as her
bete noire and Rajasthan unit president Arun Chaturvedi has
been asked to continue till the second week of February, when
Panchayat polls get over in the state.
Raje`s exit will now coincide with election of Rajasthan
unit chief. Gulab Chand Kataria is likely to succeed her as
Leader of Opposition, the sources said.
However, sources close to Raje gave a different reason for
her continuance in office, saying the post cannot remain
vacant for long and she can only resign as Leader of
Opposition when the assembly is convened for the budget
session in February.
"The post of leader of Opposition cannot remain vacant
till February. Since her successor can be chosen only when the
House convenes and the BJP MLAs select a new Leader of
Opposition, she will remain in office. After that she will
give her resignation to the Speaker," an aide close to Raje
said.
Earlier, Raje had submitted her resignation to senior
BJP leader L K Advani after defying for three months then
party president Rajnath Singh`s diktat that she quit as Leader
of Opposition owning moral responsibility for the electoral
defeat of the party in assembly and Lok Sabha polls.
PTI
