BJP President poll: Mahesh Jethmalani says he has been denied nomination form by party

New Delhi: The power struggle within the Bharatiya Janata Party for the party president's post has worsened. Mahesh Jethmalani, who had threatened to contest against Nitin Gadkari said he has been denied nomination form by the party leadership for contesting elections to party president's chair.

Jethmalani had threatened to contest the BJP presidential polls if Gadakri was the official candidate. "There are many better candidates than Gadkari...Particularly when the elections are so imminent," Jethmalani had said on Monday.

But sources had said the BJP Constitution requires 12 years party membership to contest while Jethmalani has just three years. Jethmalani, however, claimed he has been a BJP member for 12 years.

Jethmalani had threatened to contest the BJP presidential polls if Gadakri was the official candidate.

Lawyer Mahesh Jethmalani had resigned from his membership of BJP national executive, immediately after Gadkari's Purti group of companies came under the scanner.

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.

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