Resenment in BJP over selection of lS candidates

While the BJP has come out with its first list of candidates on Thursday, resentment among the party leaders has come out in open within 24 hours.

Former lok Sabha member and senior party leader Phoolchand Verma, opposing the selection of candidates, wrote to the party president Rajnath Singh asking five questions related to the ticket distribution process. Copy of the letter has been marked to RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat, party's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi and others.

Verma earlier represented Shajapur constituency, which has now been named as Dewas seat. He has been seeking ticket from Dewas and has approached leaders too in this regard. However, the party fielded ex-MlA Manohar Untwal from this constituency.

His son Rajendra Verma is two-time MlA and represents Sonkatchh assembly constituency. Despite being two-term MlA, Rajendra was not accommodated in the State cabinet.

In the letter, Verma pointed out that when former Chief Minister Sunderlal Patwa's nephew Surendra patwa and former CM Kailash Joshi's son Deepak Joshi could be made ministers, why not Om Prakash Saklecha, who is also son of former CM Virendra Saklecha.

He claimed that the leader who has been defeated in the assembly election should not be sent to Rajya Sabha. There have been instances when a leader who was defeated in assembly poll, was sent to the Upper house, appointed as State president of the party and then appointed as Union Minister.

He asked as why Ashok Argal was denied party ticket. Whether the reason was it that he had harassed RSS and BJP workers, when he was an administrative officer during the tenure of Congress Government in the StateIJ

Verma openly alleged that in his 47 years of political career, he had clean image. He also objected to the change of seat by State BJP president Narendra Singh Tomar, stating that this would send a wrong message among the party workers.