BJP to field Tandon from Lucknow

Ending speculation over its candidate from Lucknow, held by former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee for five consecutive terms, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) today decided to field former minister Lalji Tandon from this prestigious constituency.

BJP sources said Tandon’s name was announced after party president Rajnath Singh held consultations with Vajpayee, who is being treated for a lung infection. Singh, said sources, went to meet Vajpayee in the morning and announced Tandon’s name soon after.

Tandon, a senior BJP leader from the state, was the “manager’’ of Vajpayee’s campaign in the 2004 general elections. It was during that campaign that Tandon landed himself and the party in a controversy after some people died in a stampede at a rally where he was distributing saris. It was due to Tandon’s links with Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) leader Mayawati that the two parties forged an alliance after the 2004 Assembly elections.