BJP confirms Sanjay Joshi's resignation

New Delhi, June 8 (ANI): The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday confirmed the resignation of former party general secretary Sanjay Joshi.

BJP spokesperson Prakash Javadekar said Joshi has requested party chief Nitin Gadkari to relieve him from the party and his request has been accepted.

According to sources, Joshi is going back to the RSS, where he along with another stalwart Suresh Soni will be coordinator between the RSS and BJP and decide upon the party's future strategy from organizational point of view.

Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, who has had a bitter rivalry with Joshi for years, was opposed to his being brought back into the party. Joshi was re-inducted into the BJP in September last year.

Sanjay Joshi was a long-time member of the Gujarat BJP and was a member of the BJP national executive until he was forced to resign after pressure from Modi.

A mechanical engineer by training, Joshi was a lecturer in an engineering college, but he resigned to become a full-time volunteer in the nationalist Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in Maharashtra. Noting his organizational acumen, he was asked to join BJP in Gujarat in 1988, where the party was politically weak. He is known for his good rapport with grass root level workers.

Joshi became a leading figure in BJP politics in Gujarat. From 1988 to 1995, he worked closely with Narendra Modi as a secretary of Gujarat BJP.

After a revolt by Shankersinh Vaghela, Modi was shunted out, and BJP won in the subsequent elections in 1998. Joshi became the general secretary of BJP in Gujarat. In 1998, when Modi wished to return to Gujarat, Joshi had opposed the move.

However, in 2001, the Modi faction overturned the leadership of Keshubhai Patel and Modi became the chief minister. In 2005, Joshi was reportedly involved in a controversial sex CD, which led to his being removed from all posts in the BJP. owever, later it was found that the CD had been doctored.

Nonetheless, Joshi was not reinstated for six years, primarily due to opposition from the Gujarat faction. However, in 2011, Gadkari re-appointed Joshi as the coordinator for BJP in the Uttar Pradesh assembly polls, and appointed him to the national executive. (ANI)