The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is leaving no stone unturned, in projecting its lok Sabha candidate Vikram Usendi, as a suitable alternative to the party’s sitting MP Sohan Potai, who was denied a ticket this time after the latter landing up in an unsavoury controversy over his alleged links with insurgents in Bastar.
Potai had won from the Kanker lok Sabha seat for four consecutive times since 1998 and was more or less confident that the party would hand him over the ticket even this time round. However, his name allegedly got associated with two alleged ‘couriers’ of insurgents in Raipur, who were nabbed in February this year. Allegations were made by the Opposition Congress that the accused were nabbed from the vehicle of Potai, put the BJP on the back foot in an election year over repeating him from the Kanker seat.
The Kanker (ST) seat had predominantly gone to Potai on account of his huge influence in the region, party sources informed. Party sources said that a few senior BJP leaders were critical of Potai, for his unwelcome remarks made towards OBC community, in run up to Assembly polls, held in November last year. The BJP insiders say that Potai’s remarks led to the BJP candidates defeat in several Assembly seats in Bastar region.
The party would have repeated the sitting MP, if the Congress did not make so much of a noise over the incident of two alleged couriers of insurgents getting nabbed in Raipur and the vehicle used by them allegedly belonging to Potai.
On the other hand, the BJP pressed hard to look for a suitable candidate to replace Potai, zeroed in on the name of former minister Vikram Usendi, who although lost the last Assembly polls in Chhattisgarh from Antagarh Assembly seat in North Bastar. he has a considerable influence in the Kanker district.
Usendi has been campaigning hard in the Assembly segments of Sihawa, Sanjari Balod, Dondi lohara, Gunderdehi, Antagarh, Bhanupratapur, Kanker and Keshkal Assembly segments of the Kanker lok Sabha constituency, for more than a month even as his party colleague Potai had been keeping aloof while reportedly being miffed over being denied a ticket this time.
Party sources stated that Usendi, who is contesting against Congress party’s Phulo Devi Netam who lost the 2009 lok Sabha polls against BJP’s Sohan Potai from the same seat has an edge over his opponent, as he had been an MlA and a minister in his last tenure and has still not lost his popularity in the region .