Dissent forces BJP to take relook at names

BHOPAL

: Facing dissent in nearly half of the seats it has announced candidates for, the BJP's state election committee has been ordered by the national leadership to prepare new panels of names for the remaining 14 seats. Sources say BJP may even change the nominees for

Morena

and Bhind

Lok Sabha

seats to placate disgruntled leaders Ashok Argal and Anoop Mishra.


Argal, five-time BJP MP, flew to New Delhi on Thursday to hold talks with Congress leaders to contest from Bhind, say sources. Mishra, nephew of former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee and sitting MP from Morena, is reportedly in touch with Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia, and returned to Gwalior on Thursday. "I am not happy with the decision by BJP leadership. I will decide where I should fight the election," Argal told reporters on Thursday.

The BJP central leadership has asked its state unit to convince dissidents who are in touch with Congress president Rahul Gandhi. Party state chief Rakesh Singh said, "Nobody is joining Congress. We are in touch with Argal and Anoop Mishra. There in no resentment and the leaders are not joining Congress or any other party."

Malini Gaud from Indore?

There are several leaders who seek tickets but all of them could not be fielded. All the leaders are dedicated workers and they will support the party in the elections,” Singh said.

The state unit has also asked the leadership to talk to Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan on probables for Indore. She is an eight-time MP from Indore but the first list of 15 seats doesn’t have her name. BJP is likely to field mayor Malini Gaud from Indore, said sources.

The first phase of voting is only a month away, but BJP’s final list may take some time. Rakesh Singh and former CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan convened a meeting on Thursday and decided that new panels would be formed on important seats to finalise names on winnability criteria alone. The focus is on including youngsters, say sources. “Announcement of candidates in Madhya Pradesh will take a few more days. The party leadership is considering the names and there is enough time before polling in the state,” Chouhan told reporters after the meeting.

BJP has announced candidates for 15 seats, but dissent erupted in seven of them. Chouhan and Union minister Narendra Singh Tomar will attend the meeting where tickets will be finalised, say sources. The party is also working out a strategy to counter Rahul Gandhi.

“Rahul Gandhi is misleading the country. He misled the public in the name of loan waiver, and on Rafale issue, and now in the name of poverty alleviation. Rahul will have to clarify to the country and admit that Congress failed to eradicate poverty during its 55-year rule,” said Chouhan.