Vajpayee may contest poll, says BJP leader

Former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee may have kept himself out of public view but his representative today said he might be in a position to contest the coming Lok Sabha election because “there is improvement in his health”.

“The health of Vajpyaee is gradually improving and if this continues till the Lok Sabha election, which is still some months away, he might enter the electoral fray from his constituency Lucknow,” Vajpayee’s representative and senior BJP leader Lalji Tandon said here.

“Partymen and people of the constituency have been pressing Vajpayee to recontest from the Lucknow, which has been nurtured by him for years,” he said, adding that a number of delegations have lately met Vajpayee to urge him to re-enter the electoral fray.

 

Tandon said party workers and leaders were also of the view that there would be “no better or safer candidate than Vajpayee to contest from the prestigious seat, which has remained in the party kitty for several terms.” His presence in the election would also bolster the party’s “chances in general”.

“The polls are still sometime away and might be held in April next year... By then, Vajpayeeji might be well enough to contest from Lucknow,” Tandon said.

BJP spokespersons in Delhi declined to comment on Tandon’s claim. A source said Tandon might himself be a contender for the Lucknow seat if Vajpayee did not contest.