Ready to contest from Kanpur: Kalraj Mishra

BJP leader Kalraj Mishra today said if given an opportunity by his party, he was ready to contest against Coal minister and Congress MP Sriprakash Jaiswal at the Kanpur Lok Sabha seat in the 2014 general elections.
"On the directions of party high command, I am willing to contest from any seat but if my interest is asked I would like to take on Jaiswal at Kanpur," he told PTI.
BJP would win 40 seats out of 80 Lok Sabha seats in the Uttar Pradesh, the former state party president claimed.
However, there is a probability that Narendra Modi's charisma may fetch the party around 58 seats, he said when asked about the prospects of BJP in the next parliament elections.

Meanwhile another BJP leader and six-time legislator Satish Mahana also said that he is ready to contest again as last time he lost the battle against Jaiswal by a few votes only.
When Mishra was asked that Mahana is also planning to contest from the same seat, he said that Mahana is a dear friend and the final decision on this subject would be taken by the BJP high command.
However, Mishra is more likely to contest from Kanpur as he is a Brahmin and Kanpur has a large population of Brahmins. Moreover, no other party has projected a Brahmin candidate for this seat.

Kalraj Mishra was Cabinet Minister in UP government during March 1997-August 2000 period. He was a member of Rajya Sabha and is currently an MLA from Lucknow east.