CHENNAI: L.K. Advani could make an announcement on quitting as Bharatiya Janata Party president at the end of the three-day national executive committee meeting, which opened here on Friday. Sources in the senior leadership said he could make the announcement and that some leaders were told about it before they left Delhi for Chennai.

A veteran leader and member of the national executive said that in July when peace was brokered between the BJP president and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh leadership after their open spat over Mr. Advani's "Jinnah is secular" formulation, an agreement was worked out with a clear understanding that he would retire as party president by December and that an indication would be given at the executive committee meeting.

Asked what would happen if this did not materialise, the leader laughed and said: "ladayi hogi" (there will be a fight), presumably between the RSS brass and the top leadership of the BJP.

In July, the former Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, publicly said there would "soon" be a resolution of the "one man, one post" issue and that Mr. Advani himself did not favour holding on to both positions — party president and Leader of Opposition — although he wanted him to keep both assignments.

Some senior leaders said "no party could afford to destabilise itself before a crucial election." The reference was to the Bihar Assembly poll. The BJP, together with the Janata Dal (United), hopes to end President's Rule andsweep away the Rashtriya Janata Dal, which ruled the State for 15 years.

There was some excitement at the meeting venue as RSS chief K.S. Sudarshan was also in Chennai on Friday. He had a medical appointment at the Sankara Nethralaya. Senior leaders said the appointment was fixed way back and his presence here at the start of the national executive was "a mere coincidence."

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