Joshi's exit from BJP ruffles party's UP unit

The exit of Sanjay Joshi from BJP, reportedly under pressure from his “foe” and Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, has also caused fissures in the Uttar Pradesh unit of the saffron party and several party workers.

Although the BJP workers in the state have not chosen to come out in the open or indulge in a “poster war” like their counterparts in Gujarat, they have written to the senior BJP leaders expressing their serious resentment over the way Joshi was treated by the party.

In their letters, the BJP workers have showered praise upon Joshi, who had been made coordinator for the UP Assembly elections and was also handling the party's campaign in the forthcoming local urban body polls.

The workers pointed out to the BJP high command that Joshi had contributed immensely to “uniting” the “faction ridden” district units in the state. The workers also said that Joshi had “re-activated” the “near defunct” party organisation in Uttar Pradesh.

“In fact, it was due to Joshi's financial discipline that the wasteful expenditure reduced to a great extent in the state unit,” they said in their letters.

The saffron party leaders, associated with the organisational matters, also said that Joshi had worked very hard to revive the party’s fortune in the state. “He had undertaken extensive tours of the districts before the state Assembly polls,” they said.

The leaders also said that the “episode” had “adversely” affected the image of Narendra Modi among the BJP leaders of the state.