BJP faces embarrassment as Mahesh Jethmalani takes on Nitin Gadkari

New Delhi: There is trouble within the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over the leadership and it's presidential election. Even though the road seems clear for the second term of current party president Nitin Gadkari, BJP leader Mahesh Jethmalani has said there should be a contest for the post.

Just as Gadkari was beginning to feel easy about another term as the BJP president, another attack came yet again from the man who has become his biggest detractor. Lawyer Mahesh Jethmalani had resigned from his membership of BJP national executive, immediately after Gadkari's Poorti group of companies came under the scanner. And now, he is threatening to contest the BJP presidential polls, if Gadakri is the official candidate.

"There are many better candidates than Gadkari...Particularly when the elections are so imminent," said Jethmalani.

Even though the road seems clear for Gadkari\'s second term as BJP president, Jethmalani said there should be a contest for the post.

The father-son lawyer duo of Ram Jethmalani and Mahesh Jethmalani have been at the forefront of the anti-Gadkari campaign over the past few weeks. Yet, Nitin Gadkari, enjoying the support of RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, remains confident. Earlier in January, Ram Jethmalani had even met Gadakri at LK Advani's residence to work out a truce formula, but that doesn't seem to have worked.

"Any person who's a BJP member can contest elections for Presidential post. A person on behalf of Mahesh Jethmalani has contacted me for contesting elections, have asked him to contact me with all details required," said BJP leader Thawar Chand Gehlot.

All that has been achieved by the tirade of Mahesh Jethmalani is some more embarrassment for Nitin Gadkari. At a time, when the Congress has thrown its weight entirely behind Rahul Gandhi, a bitterly divided BJP, even on the question of choosing its party president, augurs poorly for itself.

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