Vajpayee's name still invokes respect. But political pundits say the poor track record of Lalji Tandon was one reason why Rajnath Singh was brought in.
The party is, however, worried that a sulking Lalji Tandon, who was number two in Rajnath Singh's state cabinet a decade back, could be a stumbling block to the BJP president.
The BJP knows that the margin of victory in Lucknow has been thinning. From Vajpayee's huge victory margins, Lalji Tandon scraped through by just 38,000 votes.
”With the SP (Samajwadi Party) doing surprisingly well in the urban areas of Lucknow, we were not in a position to take a risk. Rajnath Singh is the perfect choice to turn the tide in our favour again,” a BJP leader told IANS.
The Samajwadi Party's Ashok Vajpayi is widely seen as a sobre, down to earth and accessible person. But he may not find it easy to take on the political heavyweights.
