BJP brass discusses assembly poll preparations

New Delhi, Sep.1 (ANI): Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders, who met at the residence of party president Rajnath Singh here on Tuesday, discussed the forthcoming assembly elections in three states.

M. Venkaiah Naidu told reporters after the meeting that in the wake of the State Assembly elections being held in Haryana, Maharashtra and Arunachal Pradesh on October 13, it was deemed necessary for the BJP to discuss preparations for it.

Counting of votes will take place on October 22, the Election Commission said. The notification will be issued on September 18.

The last date for filing nominations is September 25. The papers will be scrutinised on September 26 and the last date for withdrawal is September 29.

Vasundhara Raje issue was not raised, said Naidu.

"This is not a Rajnath versus Raje issue, but was a party decision."

Earlier, Raje gave a miss to a scheduled meeting with Naidu to discuss the standoff in the party's Rajasthan unit, citing ill health. Instead, Raje sent her son Dushyant Singh as her emissary to meet Naidu.

Dushyant, the BJP MP from Jhalawar, spent over an hour with Naidu and is said to have put forth Raje's demands.

Raje is understood to have sent in a word through her son that she was unwell and would not be able to attend the crucial meeting.

However, sources close to Raje, who arrived here last night, said she is likely to stay put in Delhi for a couple of days.

She is likely to meet Naidu once some progress is made to end the stalemate, they said.

BJP sources said Raje wants the next leader of opposition in the state assembly to be from her camp. She has also demanded the general secretary's post in the central leadership as well as revocation of the suspension of two of her loyal MLAs.

The party had asked her to resign from the post following the defeat in the Lok Sabha and assembly elections in the state.

Apart from Naidu, the others who attended Tuesday's meeting included Arun Jaitely and Sushma Swaraj. (ANI)