LD BJP 2LAST

Bhagwat left for Hardwar after wrapping up
discussions with the BJP top brass on its future course. He
had a breakfast meeting Sunday with Advani, which appeared
to be a balancing act after his lunch the previous day with
another BJP veteran and Advani rival Murli Manohar Joshi.
Advani had also met Bhagwat on Saturday.

The broad outlines of a changeover in BJP began to
emerge gradually with sources in the know indicating that
81-year-old Advani in likely to make way for a younger leader
as LOP in the next three months.

Advani's current deputy Sushma Swaraj is among the
front-runners to replace him. He may be accomodated in a new
position possibly as Chairman of the BJP-led National
Democratic Alliance (NDA), a post currently held by ailing
Atal Behari Vajpayee.

With the BJP making it clear that the party's
constitution does not allow a second term for its president,
Rajnath Singh is left with no choice but to relinquish his
post in December.

The hectic RSS-BJP parleys ended with Bhagwat getting
an assurance that the BJP leaders will discuss and resolve the
problems confronting it. PTI