Sohan Potai, senior BJP leader and sitting lok Sabha MP from from Kanker seat, on Wednesday said he was not aware why he was not given party ticket for the 2014 lok Sabha polls.
Potai who represented the Scheduled Tribe reserved Kanker seat constituency for four consecutive terms was aiming to get the ticket again. Instead, the party fielded former Minister in Chhattisgarh Government, Vikram Usendi, who had lost the Assembly polls in November last year. Potai is a national office bearer of the BJP's Scheduled Tribe wing. Although the denial of ticket came as a shock for him, Potai said he is not interested to know why the party denied him the ticket. Potai said he had met Chief Minister Raman Singh before ticket distribution and the CM had assured him that there would be no problem. However, later the party denied the ticket. Replying to a question, he said the ticket was denied following the decision of the State leadership and the Central leaders do not have any role in it. However, Potai said he would continue to work for the party as usual and help the candidate fielded by the party to win the election. The BJP leader said he would work to ensure the seat remains with the party. The Congress has fielded Phulo Devi Netam from Kanker seat. Netam was defeated by a margin of about 18,000 votes by the BJP nominee in 2009 election. In the recently-concluded Assembly election, the Congress won all the seats under Kanker lok Sabha constituency, except Kanker and Antagarh Assembly seats, which went to BJP.