Ahead of the party's poll panel met to finalise the second list of candidates, Mr Joshi, who is the sitting MP from Varanasi, reportedly asked Mr Singh, "Why is there no clarification on Mr Modi contesting from Varanasi if the reports are incorrect." Mr Joshi is one of the senior BJP leaders who was opposed to Mr Modi being projected as the party's presumptive PM.
Varanasi is not only considered a safe seat as a BJP stronghold, party workers also feel that if Mr Modi contests from here it will galvanise the entire UP region - called Purvanchal - to return to the BJP. In 1998, the BJP bagged 24 of the 32 Lok Sabha seats from this region. In 2009, it was down to just four, with the Samajwadi Party and BSP gaining at its cost.
There is also the symbolism of the BJP's prime ministerial candidate and the man long seen as a "Hindutva mascot" contesting from one of the three temple towns in UP important to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. The other two are Ayodhya and Mathura.
At the meet, senior leader Sushma Swaraj also reiterated opposition to the party associating with tainted leaders like Reddy brothers and BS Sriramulu from Karnataka who quit the BJP and formed a party but are expected to announce a formal merger soon.
The BJP has also confirmed that former chief minister BS Yeddyurappa who was forced to quit over corruption charges is on its list of candidates. Mr Yeddyurappa had formed his own party but then in January, he formally became the member of the BJP once again.
"Who is clearing alliances with dodgy leaders?" Ms Swaraj reportedly asked Mr Singh.
0 comments:
Post a Comment