Delhi BJP is looking for a young president

Having burnt its finger by nominating veteran Vijay Kumar Malhotra as its chief ministerial candidate for Delhi, the BJP is now looking for a young leader.

Looking at the large number of youngsters who voted in the recently held Delhi Assembly polls, the party feels that a young leader can lead it to victory in the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections. The party also feels that a young leader may boost cadre morale, which had taken a beating after the Delhi Assembly poll debacle.

According to a senior BJP party member, top party leaders, including Lal Krishna Advani, Venkaiah Naidu, Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley, will meet in a day or two to finalise the name of the Delhi BJP president.

"The party is looking for Dr Harsh Vardhan's successor. Among the dozens of names floating around, more than half are baseless. In fact, people are floating their names in a hope to get a chance," said a senior leader, requesting anonymity.

When contacted, Delhi BJP president Dr Harsh Vardhan said that he has already expressed his desire to resign from his post. "I am not keen to continue as the Delhi BJP president," Dr Vardhan said.

According to party sources, MCD Standing Committee Chairman Vijender Gupta, state general secretary Pawan Sharma, Shyam Lal Garg, Nand Kishore Garg, Vijay Goel and Jagdish Mukhi are among the strong contenders for the post.