Congress leader from Uttarakhand, Satpal Maharaj, quit the party on Friday and joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Even as Maharaj was welcomed to the party, there were rumours that disgruntled Janata Dal (United) leader N K Singh in Bihar might join the BJP. Both were miffed with their respective parties.
The BJP also refused to give a ticket to veteran Jaswant Singh for the Barmer seat. The BJP is fielding Sonaram Choudhary, a recent entrant from the Congress camp, for this seat. Considered close to L K Advani, Jaswant Singh was snubbed a day after Advani was coerced into accepting the party's writ over seat selection. Singh had held the the portfolios of finance, defence and external affairs during the Vajpayee-led NDA regime,
Maharaj, sitting MP from Garhwal, joined the BJP formally on Friday, claiming the Congress had mishandled the natural disaster that had struck the state last year. Maharaj's wife is still a Cabinet minister in the state government. This casts a shadow on the latter's durability.
The Congress received another jolt after another stalwart and former minister, Buta Singh, was declared the Samajwadi Party's candidate from Jalore in Rajasthan. Singh, whose association with the Congress dates back to the time of Indira Gandhi, also served as governor of Bihar.
N K Singh was miffed with Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, ever since he was denied renomination to the Upper House. "I have sent my resignation from the primary membership of JD(U) in a letter to Chief Minister Nitish Kumar along with reasons for my severing ties with the party," Singh told PTI.
That Singh was veering towards the BJP was evident even when he delivered his farewell speech in the Rajya Sabha, crediting estranged ally BJP for much of the development in Bihar.
Speculation was rife in the BJP camp that Jaswant Singh might fight as an Independent, as he was keen to contest his last election from his home state.
The BJP also refused to give a ticket to veteran Jaswant Singh for the Barmer seat. The BJP is fielding Sonaram Choudhary, a recent entrant from the Congress camp, for this seat. Considered close to L K Advani, Jaswant Singh was snubbed a day after Advani was coerced into accepting the party's writ over seat selection. Singh had held the the portfolios of finance, defence and external affairs during the Vajpayee-led NDA regime,
Maharaj, sitting MP from Garhwal, joined the BJP formally on Friday, claiming the Congress had mishandled the natural disaster that had struck the state last year. Maharaj's wife is still a Cabinet minister in the state government. This casts a shadow on the latter's durability.
The Congress received another jolt after another stalwart and former minister, Buta Singh, was declared the Samajwadi Party's candidate from Jalore in Rajasthan. Singh, whose association with the Congress dates back to the time of Indira Gandhi, also served as governor of Bihar.
N K Singh was miffed with Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, ever since he was denied renomination to the Upper House. "I have sent my resignation from the primary membership of JD(U) in a letter to Chief Minister Nitish Kumar along with reasons for my severing ties with the party," Singh told PTI.
That Singh was veering towards the BJP was evident even when he delivered his farewell speech in the Rajya Sabha, crediting estranged ally BJP for much of the development in Bihar.
Speculation was rife in the BJP camp that Jaswant Singh might fight as an Independent, as he was keen to contest his last election from his home state.
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