Digvijaya Singh’s entry into the poll fray from Bhopal has spawned confusion in the BJP. So, the RSS is brooding over who should be pitted against former chief minister. They are planning to field someone with strong Hindutva ideology. The RSS has put up the name of the organisation’s state secretary VD Sharma, but he was considered a weak candidate to take on Singh. Besides, Sharma is an outsider to the state capital.
Since former chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan will be busy campaigning for the party across the state, the RSS wants that he should be kept away from contesting an election from Bhopal. RSS thus has put forward the name of union minister Uma Bharti. A senior officer-bearer of RSS Suresh Joshi who was on a two-day visit to the state capital wanted that, Bharti should be fielded from Bhopal from where she had won Lok Sabha election in 1999. Singh was the chief minister of MP then.
Nevertheless, Bharti has already refused to contest an election and resolved to serve the Ganga for one and a half years. Those who are associated with the RSS said that if the organisation tells her to fight an election she will agree. As soon as Bharti’s name cropped up, the state BJP leaders got nervous. To keep her away from MP politics, she has been sent to UP, but her contesting election from Bhopal means her return to the state.The BJP leaders are trying to put up the names of present MP Alok Sanjar and Mayor Alok Sharma.
Mahajan to be consulted about candidate from Indore: Singh
BJP state president Rakesh Singh hinted that Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan would not get ticket from Indore. The party will, however, decide candidate from Indore in consultation with her, he said. Singh’s statement indicated that Mahajan was out of election fray as she has crossed 75-year mark. Names of Malini Gaud and others are doing the round.