Earlier, Rajnath left choice of seat to lK who finally opted to contest from Gandhinagar
The impasse over the “choice” of the lok Sabha seat for BJP patriarch lK Advani ended on Thursday with the party veteran accepting the Central Election Committee’s (CEC) decision made a day earlier to field him from his traditional Gandhinagar constituency in Gujarat.
However, it came after yet another day of hectic placatory moves involving the entire BJP top brass and even the RSS. And more importantly, after the BJP had yielded to him with party president Rajnath Singh publicly saying in Chennai that it was up to Advani to choose his lok Sabha seat, whether it’s Gandhinagar or Bhopal.
In a detailed statement, Advani said he has conveyed his decision to contest from Gandhinagar to Rajnath Singh. “Having represented Gandhinagar Constituency in the lok Sabha since 1991, I have decided to contest the 2014 General Elections from Gandhinagar itself,” he said.
Singh conveyed to Advani the desire of the Gujarat unit of the BJP and the decision of the Election Committee on Wednesday that he should contest the parliamentary election from Gandhinagar, he pointed out.
The top leader also quoted Singh as saying that there was a proposal for him to contest from Bhopal and that he was informed that the choice between the two parliamentary seats had been left to him.
Advani had been keen on shifting from Gandhinagar to Bhopal, which many saw as his insecurity to contest from Modi’s stronghold, given his opposition to the Gujarat Chief Minister’s claim to being the party’s PM candidate. Also, Bhopal falls in Madhya Pradesh, ruled by his trusted lieutenant Shivraj Singh Chouhan. The BJP was wary on the grounds that it could spark speculation about continuing unease in the relations between Modi and Advani.
“This morning Narendra Modi, Chief Minister of Gujarat also came over to my residence and emphasized that the people of Gujarat are keen that I represent Gandhinagar lok Sabha once again,” Advani said in his statement that cleared the stalemate over his lok Sabha constituency.
later the BJP president issued a Press statement in which Singh said an alternate suggestion for Advani contesting from Bhopal also came as the State unit wanted their poll gains to be enhanced by the former’s presence.
Earlier during the day, besides Modi, senior leaders Sushma Swaraj, Arun Jaitley, Nitin Gadkari and Venkaiah Naidu also met Advani to placate him. The RSS too sought to convince him to contest from his traditional seat to avoid sending wrong signals, sources said. Modi had met RSS ‘Sarsaghchalak’ Mohan Bhagwat here on Wednesday night.
Naidu denied “any differences” saying the issue was already resolved. Party spokesperson Nirmala Sitharaman also played down reports of differences in the party over the matter saying the issue would be settled “peacefully and calmly”. Reacting to the developments, Naidu said: “Happy that Advani is contesting from Gandhinagar. Our critics are disappointed.”
All is well
Earlier during the day, Narendra Modi, senior leaders Sushma Swaraj, Arun Jaitley, Nitin Gadkari and Venkaiah Naidu met Advani to placate him
The RSS too sought to convince Advani to contest from his traditional seat to avoid sending wrong signals, sources said
Reacting to the developments, Naidu said: “Happy that Advani is contesting from Gandhinagar. Our critics are disappointed”