Thursday, December 8 2005 14:45 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: Dismissing as 'speculation' reports that he was a front-runner to succeed L K Advani as Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President, the party's Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu today (Dec 8, 2005) said he was not in the race for the top post.

"This is all speculation. No meeting has taken place. No discussion has taken place and it is too early to discuss this issue." Naidu told sources over phone from Surat.

He said the entire focus of the party was on the silver jubilee celebrations.

"Reports in a section of the press are purely speculation. I am not in the race and I have conveyed the same to the people concerned," he said.

Naidu, who preceded Advani as party president, had stepped down citing personal reasons following the National Democratic Alliance's (NDA) debacle in the last Lok Sabha elections and subsequent Assembly polls in Maharashtra.