Though Bharatiya Janata Party leader LK Advani wants to step down as leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha after the party's defeat, senior BJP leader Sushma Swaraj Sunday said even to think of replacing him was painful.
"I can't think of replacing Advani as BJP leader," Swaraj told reporters in Raisen, 50 km from here, where she had gone to collect her certificate of win from Vidisha constituency in Madhya Pradesh.
"Even to think of replacing Advani as opposition leader is painful for me," she said.
Swaraj is among the possible candidates for the post if the party relents and accepts Advani's wish.
Advani told a meeting of the BJP parliamentary board Saturday evening to elect a new leader after the party-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) came a distant second to the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) in the general elections.