Advani confident of Gadkari's leadership to turn up BJP's fate

Nitin Gadkari's forthrightness has been able to melt away the despondency set in by two successive setbacks in the Lok Sabha elections and turned the BJP upbeat at the just concluded Indore conclave, senior leader LK Advani said today.

In his latest blog posting, Advani said that before the three-day Indore conclave, the question bothering BJP delegates was whether Gadkari will be able to inspire confidence in the party cadre, "seemingly disheartened and disappointed by two successive setbacks in the Lok Sabha elections of 2004 and 2009?"



Advani said he could see the "initial scepticism rapidly melting away" and when the delegates left the venue, their doubts were replaced by optimism and confidence.

As compared to previous such programmes attended by him (Advani), "seldom before have I seen delegates so upbeat, and enthusiastic participants in every single programme at the session as I have seen this time," Advani, who was elected working chairman of NDA, said.

The BJP leader said the delegates had a strong feeling that the "attributes of transparent frankness and forthrightness that they had been able to discern in the new president were exactly what the party needed at this point of time."

At the National Executive and Council, attended by nearly four thousand delegates, Gadkari was able to interact with senior state BJP representatives and BJP chief ministers at a single combined conclave for the first time.