The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday replaced LK Advani with party chief Amit Shah as its candidate for Gandhinagar Lok Sabha seat, formally bringing curtains down on the 91-year-old’s career who played a crucial role in the transformation of the saffron outfit from a marginal player to a major political influence.
The BJP released its first list of 184 candidates for the Lok Sabha election on Thursday, and dropped many leaders over the age of 75 from the list, reports Hindustan Times.
Garhwal MP BC Khanduri (84), Nainital MP Bhagat Singh Koshyari, 76, and Guwahati MP Bijoya Chakravarty,79, were prominent omissions in the BJP list. Advani is 91.
“His decision to not contest the Lok Sabha election means he is retiring,” the person cited in the first instance said, adding that there has been no talk yet of sending Advani to the Rajya Sabha.
BJP’s decision to not field Advani in the election marks the end of an illustrious chapter in the history of India’s ruling party, which grew in size phenomenally after Advani took out the rath yatra in 1990s, mustering support to build a Ram Temple at Ayodhya.
Advani was elected to the Rajya Sabha for four terms and to the Lok Sabha on seven occasions. He was country’s deputy prime minister, held key portfolios such as Home Ministry and headed the BJP several times.
Advani was BJP’s first ‘hindu hriday samrat’, and his hardline stance won him followers across the country, helped firm up his grip over the BJP, and won him many admirers in the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh – the BJP’s ideological mentor.
In sharp contrast to former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Advani was a man of the organization who handpicked and patronized several BJP leaders for key roles.
Many second-generation leaders including Prime Minister Narendra Modi were considered his protégé. It is widely believed that it was Advani’s backing that saved Modi’s job as Gujarat chief minister after the Gujarat riots in 2002.
