BHOPAL: For over a month the State Capital has been witnessing hectic political activity over the demand for leadership change raised by legislators and State Ministers loyal to the former Chief Minister Uma Bharti. Now with the fourth and last phase of polling for the Bihar Assembly election just round the corner, the top State Bharatiya Janata Party leaders have started shifting camp to Delhi where the issue would be taken up on top priority after polling ends in Bihar on November 19.

The Madhya Pradesh BJP unit president, Shivraj Singh Chauhan has already reached Delhi and Ms. Bharti was expected to reach there on Friday.

While the personal staff of some Ministers evaded queries on Thursday, it is learnt that the State Ministers Gauri Shankar Shejwar, Dhal Singh Bisen and Anup Mishra, who are said to be strong supporters of Ms. Bharti, were off to Delhi to meet the party President, L.K. Advani and other senior party leaders.

The present atmosphere of instability created by the demand for leadership change in Madhya Pradesh has left a direct impact on the State Government's administrative machinery and officers at different levels have confided that most important decisions have been put on the backburner as no one was prepared to take the hazard of implementing a decision that was likely to be rejected by a new Chief Minister and his team of top officers.

Even the BJP cadres and workers are a worried lot as they strongly feel that any further delay in resolving the political crisis would seriously jeopardise their party's image. In hushed tones many State BJP leaders and Ministers have told this Correspondent that the Chief Minister, Babulal Gaur, instead of being inclusive in his approach, has chosen to exclude even many of his prominent ministerial colleagues when it comes to deciding important policy matters.

The Ministers loyal to Ms. Bharti are particularly hurt as they feel that their wings were deliberately clipped when portfolios were allotted to them by Mr. Gaur.

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