End of an era: Advani departs, Sushma to lead Opposition

A day before Nitin Gadkari takes over as BJP president from Rajnath Singh, LK Advani stepped down as leader of Opposition in keeping with the wishes of the party’s parent body, the RSS, for a change of guard in Parliament. Shekhar Iyer reports.

A day before Nitin Gadkari takes over as BJP president from Rajnath Singh, L.K. Advani stepped down as leader of opposition in keeping with the wishes of the party’s parent body, the RSS, for a change of guard in Parliament.

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On Friday, Advani (82) made way for Sushma Swaraj to take his place under a pact worked out with the RSS that saw his elevation as chairman of the party’s parliamentary party.

The new position means he will play the role of a mentor — rather than the chief controller of affairs — as desired by the RSS, and the BJP will have a new face to project as its prime-ministerial candidate for the Lok Sabha polls in 2014.

It also means that the RSS will get a lot of, if not full, say in the running of the BJP under Gadkari, who will take over once the party’s parliamentary board’s formally announces his appointment on Saturday.

Advani’s new role was created at Friday’s meeting of BJP MPs, who “unanimously” amended the party constitution for this purpose.

They also elected him to the post, granting him the power to nominate Swaraj, who was his deputy, in his place and re-appoint Arun Jaitley as leader of opposition in Rajya Sabha.

BJP leaders saw Advani’s elevation as a sort of end to his days of pre-eminence in the party. But Advani did not think so. “It is not the end of an era,” he told BJP MPs after his election. “In my life and politics, this is a new chapter.”