Modi's bete noire Sanjay Joshi finds himself sidelined from the party

The recent ouster of Jaswant Singh as well as the row with LK Advani over Lok Sabha polls tickets has drawn the BJP’s change of guard into focus. But one of the overlooked leaders who has increasingly withdrawn from the party and the spotlight of the coming polls is Sanjay Joshi. [caption id=“attachment_371984” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  File photo of BJP leader Sanjay Joshi. PTI[/caption] The Indian Express reported that Joshi the outgoing Gujarat MP and former national secretary (organisation) of the party has been maintaining a low profile. The report says: “Joshi got another signal recently that the Modi-dominated BJP was in no hurry to find a place for him. Bhavnagar MP Rajendrasinh Rana who took in Joshi after he was asked to vacate the BJP headquarters in 2004, and in whose flat he has been living since 2009, was denied a ticket this time from the seat he had been winning continuously since 1996.” The Indian Express also reported that BJP’s PM bid Narendra Modi and Joshi have not spoken or met in nearly 11 years. Joshi also hardly visits Gujarat, even though he has been on solo visits to several states part of personal tours to assess the political atmosphere. “Joshi was made secretary (organisation) of the Gujarat BJP in 1988 — joining Modi who was made general secretary of the state unit the year before. He is credited with building the BJP in Gujarat, working in close association with Modi till 1995. Differences cropped up between them when Shankersinh Vaghela revolted, forcing a split in the Gujarat BJP and Modi’s transfer out of Gujarat,” the report reads. Once an important figure in national politics and key member of the BJP, Joshi now languishes due to a slow sidelining from political life. Read the complete article here.