The BJP has shortlisted the names of senior party leaders to fill seven impending gubernatorial vacancies.
Among those in the reckoning are former Union Ministers Yashwant Sinha and Ram Naik, former U.P. CM Kalyan Singh, ex-MP Vijay Kumar Malhotra, Kesari Nath Tripathi, a former U.P. Assembly Speaker, and ex-U.P. MLAs Lalji Tandon and Kailash Joshi.
Considered a heavyweight in Uttar Pradesh, Mr. Tandon vacated the Lucknow seat for party president Rajanth Singh for the 16th Lok Sabha elections while Mr. Joshi is a former Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh and was a member of the 14th and 15th Lok Sabha.
The name of veteran leader and former Union Minister Murli Manohar Joshi is not in the list of contenders. “The party looks up to Dr. Joshi. He continues to guide us and his wisdom and knowledge will be utilised by the party,” the functionary said. He declined to comment on what role the party has envisaged for Dr. Joshi.
The party also downplayed the controversy that has erupted over the removal of Governors. It dismissed allegations that the Union Home Ministry’s decision to seek the resignation of a few Governors and the proposed transfers of others, who were appointed during the UPA government’s tenure, is in violation of norms and is “political vendetta.”
“Some of the governors have cases against them that need to be probed. There are some appointments that need to be reviewed and some transfers are being carried out, all this is government business, we should not draw conclusions,” said a BJP functionary.
