by Harish Gupta, National Editor, Lokmat Group
Is It Modi VS Shatru in Varanasi ?
Opposition parties pitching a Joint candidate in 2019
Harish Gupta
New Delhi, Jan. 22
The Opposition parties are contemplating pitching a joint candidate against Prime Minister Narendra Modi from Varanasi Lok Sabha constituency this time.
If sources in the top echelon of the Opposition are to be believed, rebel BJP leader Shatrughan Sinha has been sounded to take on the mighty Modi in May 2019 Lok Sabha polls.
It transpires that Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav is the brain behind this move and a primary round of discussion had already taken place in Kolkata when these leaders met on Sunday last.
These sources told Lokmat today that Shatrughan Sinha is the most sought-after leader by Opposition parties today; if Mamata Banerjee wants him to contest from any seat in West Bengal, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal asked him to contest against BJP leader Manoj Tiwari in Delhi. RJD supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav wants him to be the joint Opposition candidate from Patna Sahib in Bihar, a constituency he currently holds in Lok Sabha as BJP MP.Sinha had met Lalu in Ranchi jail last month. The Congress leadership is also very soft on him and willing to take him on board.
However, the Opposition leaders are looking for a formidable candidate against PM Modi from Varanasi and it is felt that Shatrughan Sinha foots the bill given the situation. He is a BJP insider, a party veteran, popular, seasoned and commands a lot of goodwill.
The BJP leadership is also moving with caution to proceed against Sinha even after issuing him a public warning on Sunday itself when Shatrughan Sinha addressed an Opposition rally. Last ditch efforts may be on for some sort of a patch up though the die seems to have been cast.
The Opposition had failed in 2014 to put up a joint candidate against Modi from Varanasi due to variety of reasons with Congress and BSP candidates losing their deposits and Arvind Kejriwal getting more than two lakh votes and Modi touching almost 6 lakh vote figure. The opposition parties are keen to give BJP run for its money Varanasi this time and if Shatrughan Sinha is agreeable, it will be a stellar. Sinha will have nothing to lose even if he loses from Varanasi as he will be brought to the Rajya Sabha.
Ends
