Mumbai:
His rivals have been calling him a political light weight. So BJP President Nitin Gadkari has gone in for an image makeover and a political course correction. First, he underwent a surgery to lose weight and now, he has announced his plan to turn a mass leader. A much slimmer BJP president, at a Diwali milan in Mumbai on Saturday, said he would contest the Lok Sabha elections.
"I will contest Lok Sabha elections as I would like to get elected from among the people," Mr Gadkari told reporters at a Diwali get-together hosted by him in Mumbai.
Asked if he wanted to lead the country, Gadkari indicated that he had no prime ministerial ambitions. "Even now, I am leading the country, as the BJP president. Beyond this, I have no desire for any other leadership," he said.
Despite his denial, Mr Gadkari's statement is being seen as his bid to emerge as a prime ministerial candidate in the BJP. The party right now denies this. BJP officials say the statement is a generic statement by the BJP president, as Mr Gadkari now spends lots of time in Delhi and has to focus on the party's national matters.
Now Mr Gadkari's entry into the prime ministerial race complicates things for the BJP. Sources say Mr Gadkari has the backing of the RSS, which brought him from Nagpur to Delhi as the BJP president. Sources also indicate that the real reason behind Mr Gadkari's plan is the RSS' condition that the BJP's next political face has to be a mass leader.
Mr Gadkari's Lok Sabha aspirations are being seen as a signal to Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, who may have, till now, taken the RSS support for granted. Mr Gadkari's entry into the race could also spell bad news for senior leaders like Arun Jaitley and Sushma Swaraj, as the party now faces the problem of plenty.
But while the speculation around Mr Gadkari's intentions continues, the man himself is keeping mum. Asked as to how long the BJP would take before announcing their prime ministerial candidate, he answered, "When the need arises, we will decide (the candidate) in a fraction of a second."
He was however categorical on one thing. When asked what impact the Anna Hazare movement would have on the elections, Gadkari replied, "Be it the anti-corruption campaign by Anna Hazare or Baba Ramdev, there is a natural reaction among the masses against corruption and its effect will be seen in the ensuing elections."