Murli Manohar Joshi
After LK Advani, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) veteran leader Murli Manohar Joshi will not be contesting the upcoming Lok Sabha elections 2019.
As per reports, Joshi was asked by party general secretary Ramlal to not contest the election.
On social media, a message doing the rounds, reportedly by Joshi to the voters of Kanpur, also mentioned that he had been asked to stay out of the poll.
Advani, 91, has served as Union home minister and deputy prime minister. He was also the national president of the BJP more than once. He is often credited with helping the party create a national footprint within a decade of its formation through active participation in the Ayodhya movement.
Once considered a hardliner, Advani's decline began after he fell out of favour with the BJP's parent body, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) following his appreciation of "secular" personality of Pakistan founder Mohd Ali Jinnah in 2005.
His standing within the party diminished further after he fell out with Modi, whom he had mentored. Advani had also backed Modi when the then prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee wanted him gone as Gujarat chief minister in the aftermath of 2002 Godhra riots.
General elections are scheduled to be held in seven phases from 11 April to 19 May 2019 to constitute the 17th Lok Sabha. The counting of votes will be conducted on 23 May, and on the same day, the results will be declared.
Legislative Assembly elections in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Odisha and Sikkim will be held simultaneously with the general elections.
(With inputs from agencies)
