by Harish Gupta, National Editor, Lokmat Group
Dilemma grips BJP on fielding sitting LS MPs
Searching formidable candidate against Kejriwal
Harish Gupta
New Delhi, Jan. 18
The BJP leadership is in a serious dilemma whether to field some sitting Members of the Lok Sabha for the Delhi Assembly to take on the Aam Aadmi Party. Earlier it was toying with the idea of fielding all the seven sitting Lok Sabha Sabha MPs including Union Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan for the Delhi Assembly seats. This thinking evolved as many felt that the party should put its best foot forward. But suddenly the party developed cold feet and now it is contemplating to field only three Lok Sabha MPs in the Delhi Assembly battle.
According to highly placed sources, Dr Manoj Tiwari, president of the Delhi BJP, Parvesh Varma, son of former Delhi Chief Minister Sahib Singh Varma and Ramesh Biduri are keen to contest for the Assembly polls and conveyed their desire to the party high command accordingly. Vijay Goel, former Union Minister and ex-president of the Delhi BJP and sitting Rajya Sabha MP, is also determined to contest for the Assembly polls. In any case, his Rajya Sabha term is expiring from Rajasthan in April and its time, he returns to the local Delhi politics.
Earlier these leaders wanted them to be projected as chief ministerial face of the party. When the party told them that this can't be accepted, they still want to contest for the Assembly to take on the AAP.
The party is also looking for a candidate who can be pitted against Arvind Kejriwal from the New Delhi constituency. Meenakshi Lekhi, two times Lok Sabha MP from New Delhi constituency was sounded to contest against Kejriwal. But she was not inclined though if ordered will obey.
The party has announced the names of 57 candidates so far and nine more are yet to be announced. Four seats have been allocated to its ally Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD). The BJP has three MLAs in the Delhi Assembly and the Modi-Amit Shah team wants to snatch the Assembly after loosing the battle for past 22 years.
