BJP elects Rajnath as new party President

 New Delhi, Jan. 23: Former Uttar Pradesh CM and Senior BJP leader, Rajnath Singh, was elected unanimously as the party's 12th president on Wednesday. Singh was left as the sole candidate in the fray after outgoing  Nitin Gadkari opted out of the presidential race.

Gadkari decided to quit in the wake of the charges of financial wrong doing leveled against him.

Singh, who has been elected for the second time, will face the challenges of internal rift and reviving the party fortunes in the upcoming Lok Sabha election due in May 2014.

Who is Rajnath Singh?

62 year-old veteran BJP leader, Singh, belongs to Chandauli district of  Uttar Pradesh. He has been associated with the RSS since the age of 13. Singh, who is also Post Graduate in Physics, before joining  to politics was a physics lecturer in the K B Post graduate degree college, Mirzapur in 1971.

In 1991, he became Education Minister in the first BJP government in the state of Uttar Pradesh. Later he became the Chief Minister of state for 2 years from 28 October 2000 to 8 March 2002. 

In 2005, following the resignation of Lal Krishna Advani, he was unanimously elected as the BJP's National President. He was re-elected for the post in November 2006. He handed over the presidentship to the RSS backed Nitin Gadkar in year 2009 after the party's poor performance in Lok Sabha election.

JMM breaks ties with the Govt; Munda resigns, recommends dissolution of Assembly

Ranchi, Jan 8: Political development changed suddenly on Tuesday after Arjun Munda resigned as CM of Jharkhand and recommended for the dissolution of Assembly to the Governor.

Mr. Munda took the decision after alliance partner Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) withdrew its support from the government on Monday. Now, Governor Syed Ahmed has to decide whether to impose presidential rule in the state or dissolve the Assembly to facilitate for the fresh elections.

According to political experts, Congress should approach for the formation of government as BJP and JMM have earlier been given the opportunity for the same.

Earlier on Tuesday at the CM house,  Munda called for an emergency meeting of the cabinet  and conveyed its decision to Ahmed, just an hour before JMM leaders submitted a formal letter of withdrawal of support to the Governor.
 

Meanwhile, accepting Munda’s resignation, governor Ahmed asked him to continue as a care taker Chief Minister until an alternate arrangement was made.

Congress has  not yet  given any formal comment on the development.

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