New Delhi, (DMA Newsdesk): Ushering in a generational change in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Lal Krishna Advani is likely to quit as Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha while Rajnath Singh will step down as party president on Saturday to complete the change of guard in the principal Opposition party.

Advani is likely to quit next week which bring an end to the Atal Bihari Vajpayee-LK Advani era in the BJP. Singh will put in his papers on Saturday.

Advani could make the announcement on December 21, the last day of the Winter Session of Parliament, in the Parliamentary Party meeting of the BJP.

But Advani could call it quits on Friday if Parliament is adjourned sine die on that day.

Party sources said that the BJP constitution is expected to be amended to create a post of chairman of the parliamentary party, which would be offered to Advani.

This would pave the way for elevation of Sushma Swaraj as Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, where she is deputy leader of the party at present.

The 57-year-old BJP MP is tipped to succeed 83-year-old Advani under a Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) conceived move to usher in younger leadership against the backdrop of the debacle in Lok Sabha polls.

Nitin Gadkari, Maharashtra state BJP chief, is expected to be appointed new president of the party on Saturday.

With this, the party will have a new chief and a new Leader of Opposition in the new year.

The race for the post of Deputy Leader of BJP in the Lower House is now between Ananth Kumar, Gopinath Munde and Shahnawaz Hussain

The changes are being made in consultation with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, which wanted a young leadership to take over the party's reins before the end of the year.

Munde and Yashwant Sinha are also eyeing the post of Public Accounts Committee Chairman which has fallen vacant after Jaswant Singh's resignation

Rajnath Singh's term ends in a couple of days. Arun Jaitley is Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha.

Soon after Lok Sabha defeat, the BJP veteran had suggested to the party top brass to choose a new leader of opposition, but it was ignored and he was chosen for the post.

But later RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat stepped in to suggest that the party better look at having a younger leadership between 55 and 65 years of age.

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