For a party that collapsed under the weight of too many leaders, the BJP in Uttar Pradesh is now facing an acute leadership crisis.
With Mr Kalraj Mishra and Ms Uma Bharti having reportedly refusing to lead the legislature party and no leader in sight to head the party’s state unit, the BJP finds itself virtually “headless” in UP.
According to party sources, Ms Bharti has refused to lead the legislature party saying that she would prefer to concentrate on her Assembly segment Charkhari and devote the remaining time to prepare for the Lok Sabha elections. Sources close to Ms Bharti said that she does not see any role for herself in leading the legislature party in the state Assembly.
“With the BSP as the main Opposition party, the BJP with 47 legislators, will not have much of a role to play inside the House,” said a Ms Bharti supporter.
Mr Mishra, on the other hand, is also said to be not too keen on accepting the post of the leader of the legislature party. Being a first-time legislator, Mr Mishra wants the mantle to fall on someone who has greater legislative experience in the state Assembly.
The MLAs also want someone younger, “who can match up to chief minister Akhilesh Yadav”, to lead the party in the Assembly.
Party sources said that the responsibility of leading the BJP in the Assembly could now fall on the shoulders of Mr Hukum Singh, Mr Laxmikant Bajpai or Mr Radha Mohan Das Agarwal. All the three leaders are veterans in the state legislature and effective orators.
Mr Bajpai and Mr Singh belong to western UP while Mr Agarwal belongs to Purvanchal.
Meanwhile, the search is also on for a state president since the present incumbent Surya Pratap Shahi has already resigned owning moral responsibility for the party’s debacle in recent elections.