Bjp Poll List Shows Rejection Of Kalyan Formula
Otherwise, it has flinched from doing any radical surgery, except in those cases where the top central leadership has been involved. Thus, all the four candidates from Lucknow, a Lok Sabha constituency represented by Atal Behari Vajpayee, have been changed. Similarly, Murli Manohar Joshi had a hand in selecting candidates from Kumaon Mandal, where there are at least two fresh faces. Barring these, the non-performing sitting MLAs have been retained.
In Kanpur, all the six who contested in the last two Vidhan Sabha election have been retained, although there was great dissatisfaction against at least two of them. Similarly, the candidate in Nainital has been retained, although it is certain that he will not be able to draw the extra votes so necessary for the BJP candidate to win.
The BJP does not seem to have released that in this election the individual candidate will matter far more then before, because the party's image has been devalued. Voters, large number of them, are prepared to forsake their parties, in case they find good candidates. Thus he additional votes which a good candidate can win, will in most cases not accrue to the BJP.
Among the party's choice of candidates is the sister of Ajit Singh, this being BJP's response to Ajit joining the UF.
BJP has sent another signal, this time to the big ganglords, by giving a ticket to Updesh Singh Chauhan, now in jail for murder of SP activists, from Mainpuri. Chauhan had lost to Mulayam Singh during the recent Lok Sabha elections. By giving him a ticket, the BJP may have shown a path to future Chauhans to enter the BJP. But it has also given Mulayam Singh a strong handle to take away BJP's high moral ground.
All those who had helped the BJP in bringing about a break in the SP-BSP alliance, have been honoured with tickets. There are three Muslims who have been given tickets from those areas which the BJP has been loosing consistently. Not one of them is a winning seat.
The number of women candidates has risen from 12 to 22.
Kalyan Singh will contest from one place. Atrauli Kalraj Misra, the state party president, who was keen to enter the Vidhan Sabha through a safe constituency, has been rebuffed. Balti Baba, the controversial tantrik, has been given ticket. Yadavs have been given seven seats to contest. The list has nothing to enthuse BJP supporters.