Jaipur : Former Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje on Feb 22 submitted her resignation as Leader of the Opposition in state assembly to Speaker Deependra Singh Shekhawat.

Forced by the then party president Rajnath Singh, Raje had sent her resignation to the party high command on October 23, but it was not forwarded to speaker Deependra Singh Shekhawat.

The central leadership had asked Raje to step down from the post in August following BJP's dismal performance in the Lok Sabha and assembly polls.

Earlier, a close aide of Raje said, "We have no clue as who will be the next leader of Opposition but Raje has made up her mind to quit the post before business in the House starts".

Since nobody had replaced her after she sent the letter to the central leadership, there were speculations that she may continue to hold the post. However, her camp on Feb 21 confirmed that she will resign from the post when the party legislators meet on Feb 22.

The new leader of Opposition will be elected in the presence of central party observers, who are likely to reach Jaipur on Feb 22.

According to sources, Raje had been demanding that one of her loyalists be given the job. However, party's deputy leader in the House, Ghanshyam Tiwari and former home minister Gulab Chand Kataria are the front-runners.

Although Tiwari had lost the Lok Sabha election from Jaipur, he still holds a chance. Both are known for their RSS affiliations.