BJP workers resent ‘outsider’ factor at Khajuraho Lok Sabha seat

BHOPAL: Despite simmering discontent against outsiders on more than 10 Lok Sabha seats, the BJP's delayed decision to field non-traditional names in ensuing elections reveal how tough search for suitable winning candidate is proving for the party. The party declared only three of total eight Lok Sabha seats on Sunday leaving party workers speculating over names.


BJP’s decision on three seats, Dhar, Ratlam-Jhabua and old citadel Khajuraho, which is a world famous tourist attraction, triggered discontent in parts of Bundelkhand where local leaders joined hands immediately after announcement of Vishnu Dutt Sharma as the party candidate.

Former MLA and an active RSS member in the region, Giriraj Kishore aka Raju Poddar resigned from all party positions to protest the decision, Local BJP leaders and workers took to social media to express displesure against party leadership for nominating an outsider from a place where they spent all their life to build their image and contacts.

“I am hurt by the process of selection of candidate by party for

Khajuraho Lok Sabha seat

. I am giving up responsibility of all posts and positions assigned to me by the party organisation with immediate effect,” said former MLA from Murwara (Katni) in a missive to BJP state president Rakesh Singh on April 14. Like Raju Poddar, former ministers Kusum Mehdele, Lalita Yadav, Khajuraho Development Authority chairman Ghasiram Patel, former district president Jaiprakash Chaturvedi, former chairman of district cooperative bank Sanjay Nagaich, district panchayat president, Panna, Raviraj Yadav, former MLA of Chandla

Vijay Bahadur Singh

Bundela and member of royal family of Panna, Kavita Raje were among strong claimants for the party ticket from Khajuraho. Apart from local leaders, name of Union minister Uma Bharti was also doing rounds as a potential candidate for Khajuraho seat which she had won four times from 1989 to 1998. However, Sangh Parivar played a decisive role in promoting the name of Sharma from the coveted seat. Damor’s nomination has opened doors in the BJP to nominate a sitting MLA for Lok Sabha polls. Of late, it was considered the BJP would not allow fielding sitting MLAs in view of close number game in the state assembly against the ruling Congress government.

On Sunday, Congress minister Jaivardhan Singh took a dig at the BJP leadership for delay in announcing the name from Bhopal seat. “Only 28 days are left to the Lok Sabha elections in Bhopal but, BJP is in a dilemma over the name of a suitable candidate against Congress' Digvijaya Singh,” Singh told a meeting of workers in Bhopal on Sunday. In reply, BJP firebrand leader Uma Bharti tweeted that there was no need to field big candidate against Digvijaya Singh. “In Bhopal, anybody from the budding leadership like Alok Sanjar, Krishna Gaur, Rameshwar Sharma, Shailendra Sharma, Alok Sharma, Bhagwandas Sabnani and Vishwas Sarang could take on Congress candidate Digvijaya Singh in the election.” Hinting at her unwillingness to contest, Bharti stated, “Voters of Bhopal are eager to defeat Digvijaya Singh. I have already contributed to his historical rout in 2003 elections and played my role.”