A Man Of Many Parts

But Shekhawat's candidature for vice-presidentship was a unanimous one within the party. When parliamentary affairs minister Pramod Mahajan suggested that the NDA put up someone who is "born and brought up in the BJP" as its vice-presidential candidate, and Shekhawat's name was suggested, the home minister readily agreed. One reason could be that getting Shekhawat away from the BJP fits in with Advani's plan of inducting younger leaders into the party. Minister of state for small-scale industries Vasundhararaje Scindia is tipped to take over the state presidentship.

Despite Shekhawat's claim that he will now play an apolitical role, few in the BJP believe he would give up his old habits. In fact, his personal equations with the NDA allies and even the Opposition put him in a position to replace George Fernandes as a trouble-shooter for the prime minister. Most recall when Vajpayee was invited to Rashtrapati Bhavan after the 1999 elections to prove his majority, he wanted Shekhawat to accompany him. This is the level of trust between the two. And with Shekhawat taking up residence in Delhi, there is little doubt that he will be helping out his old friend, albeit unofficially. Moreover, at a time when the deputy PM is consolidating his position within the party, Shekhawat could emerge as a focal point for the disgruntled elements in the BJP who may not have access to the PM.

But for the record, Shekhawat says that he is not going to indulge in any party politics. "I am no longer linked with 11, Ashoka Road (the BJP headquarters). I am now the vice-president." However, his aides point out that just 24 hours after he was elected, Sonia Gandhi, the leader of Opposition, still had not called to congratulate him. But Shekhawat doesn't hold that against her as he steers away from active politics and occupies a constitutional position.