Advani won't head BJP in 2014 polls: Naidu

New Delhi: Former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president M Venkaiah Naidu said the party will not contest the next Lok Sabha elections under the leadership of LK Advani.

He emphasised that it would be logical for the party to get a new leadership at that juncture.

“Advani is not going to contest the next General Elections (2014). We are not going to fight the next elections under his leadership,” Naidu told Karan Thapar on Devil’s Advocate.

He was replying to a question on whether the BJP would contest the next General Elections under Advani's leadership, who would be 87-year-old in 2014.

Naidu said that by next General Elections, the BJP would need a new leader and for this the of guard would have to take place couple of years before the polls.

Asked who would be the next leader, he said, “Political parties discuss issues and then come to conclusions according to the need of the hour and by consensus”.

The Rajya Sabha MP said Advani had been chosen as the Leader of Opposition by BJP for the 15th Lok Sabha and it was for him to decide when to step down.

“Whenever he (Advani) wants to make way for others, it is his choice. Nobody has given him any deadline,” Naidu said.

Naidu justified that Advani didn’t want to continue as the head of the BJP parliamentary party and that he was persuaded to do.

“When you lose an election and that too for the second time there will be certain amount of demoralisation, so we wanted him (Advani) to guide. The process of leadership change is a normal process. So, when he wants to choose a new leader, it will be announced by Advani,” he said.

On the recent controversy created by Advani’s statement that he did not want expulsion of Jaswant Singh, Naidu said, “Initially, yes, he was opposed to expulsion. He said in place of expulsion can we think of any other alternative.”

However, Naidu maintained that the final decision was unanimous.

“Jaswant’s book contains many objectionable references,” he said.

Naidu said the decision to expel Jaswant was a “painful decision” as he had been with the party for 25-30 years but there was no other way.

On Arun Shourie’s recent outburst against Advani and party president Rajnath Singh, Naidu hinted action may be taken after the forthcoming Assembly polls while he was confident Vasundhara Raje would abide by party decision.