New Delhi, Former Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhra Raje handed over her resignation as Opposition Leader in the State Assembly to senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader L.K Advani here on Friday. Raje's decision came a day ahead of BJP Parliamentary Board meeting.

In August, the BJP high command had asked Raje to step down as Leader of Opposition in the wake of the party's poor performance in the Lok Sabha and the State Assembly elections. The party decided to remove Raje as part of its larger exercise to change office-bearers in states where the party had fared poorly in the elections, but Raje had reportedly asked why no central leader had been held accountable.

According to sources, the party might keep Raje's resignation pending till the end of the bye - election to the Rajasthan Assembly, which is scheduled to be held on November 7. Sources added that Raje had demanded the removal of those at the helm of party affairs in elections to Maharashtra and Haryana.

On October 15, the BJP Parliamentary Board, discussed the Raje issue for over two-and-a-half hours, but was forced to defer a final decision due to a lack of consensus.

-Arun Acharya