The BJP’s plan to make the strategic move of fielding its prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi from Varanasi for “major electoral gains” continued to be met with “stiff resistance” from the sitting MP from the seat, Murli Manohar Joshi, who is said to have raised the issue during the party’s Central Election Committee meeting on Saturday.
Sources said that Joshi objected to the “media leaks” over the issue of the Varanasi seat as well as the slogan campaigns against him. As the issue cropped up in the CEC meeting, party president Rajnath Singh tried to convince him of “the propriety” of the party’s move. However, the BJP veteran is believed to have asked the party president to clear the air on the issue and made known his opposition to any such move in no uncertain terms.
According to party sources, Modi “will contest” from Varanasi while Joshi has already been “offered” the Kanpur lok Sabha seat, where Union Minister and sitting Congress MP is facing a strong anti-incumbency. “Joshi’s winnability from the seat is high from Kanpur. Also, it is Joshi’s supporters and not he himself who is protesting the move to shift him from Varanasi,” a BJP Central leader claimed.
The party has repeatedly stressed on “power of vote mobilisation” that would come along with Modi’s campaign in “the holy city”. Varanasi is set to go to polls on May 12. Joshi had shifted from Allahabad to Varanasi after Samajwadi Party won from the seat in 2004. Besides Varanasi, Modi may also be running for Ahmedabad East seat in Gujarat that includes his Assembly segment Maninagar, currently represented by Hiren Pathak, who has held it for a record seven times.
While the hitch over Varanasi continues, Modi’s supporters on Saturday launched a signature campaign in the city demanding that the BJP’s PM candidate contest from the city. This, even as Joshi’s supporters have gone ahead pasting his posters in the entire city pledging their backing to him. They are also pointing to a possible backlash from the Brahmin community.
The face-offs will end once the party officially announces Modi and Joshi’s seats for contesting the lok Sabha poll, sources said. The third BJP list, the heaviest covering major States of UP, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh, is expected to be announced on March 13. Meanwhile, sources said newly named vice-president of the BJP Kalyan Singh, 82, may also contest from Etah, his traditional seat. His son Rajveer is also keen to contest from the Aligarh lok Sabha seat.
This apart, some of the BJP’s sitting MPs have set their dates for formal launch of their poll campaign. Sitting MP from Pilibhit Varun Gandhi, who is to contest from Sultanpur in 2014 lok Sabha poll, will launch his poll programme from March 11. Several other sitting MPs, who have been given an informal green signal by the party, have already hit the road to impress their voters in the State with 80 lok Sabha seats.