As BJP has kept its decision on the Bhopal Lok Sabha seats on hold, another party worker emerged as claimant of candidature. Home minister Babulal Gaur is learnt to have lobbied for his daughter-in-law and city mayor Krishna Gaur. He also made a statement on last Saturday that certain party leaders have mounted pressure on central election committee to urge Party patriarch Lal Krishna Advani to contest Bhopal seat. The party is likely to declare candidate for the seat by this evening.
Gaur, during his recent Delhi visit, is learnt to have met BJP chief Rajnath Singh besides Nitin Gadkari, Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley and demanded ticket for her daughter-in-law from Bhopal.
Party sources said, “Her (Krishna Gaur’s) name is also on the cards if LK Advani drops his name from the seat today.” As of now, names of Anil Madhav Dave, sitting member of Rajya Sabha and district unit president Alok Sharma have been surfaced on top for the seat.”
Meanwhile, party’s district unit president Alok Sharma is learnt to have made another effort to lobby for ticket from Bhopal. Higher education minister Umashankar Gupta is also learnt to have support him and had held discussion with state chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan in this regard.
However Former Union minister Arif Beg has opened voices against Sharma. He alleged that Alok was not a proper candidate for Bhopal seat. On the other hand, certain party members of also spoke against other probable contestants Anil Madhav Dave and former Union minister Vikram Verma who are making efforts to get ticket from Bhopal seat.
Other local leaders have also expressed views against selection of candidates. Those denied tickets have questioned dropping sitting MLAs and party stance to entertain defectors like Bhagirath Prasad and Uday Pratap Singh who have been given party ticket from Bhind and Hoshangabad seats.
A five-time member of Parliament from Shajapur-Dewas, Phool Chand Verma, has fired a letter to party chief Rajnath Singh and RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat questioning the party’s ticket distribution process and manner.
Making allegations of promoting nepotism by accommodating relatives of former chief ministers Kailash Joshi and Sunderlal Patwa Verma, in his letter asked, why party’s state unit president Narendra Singh Tomar has been asked to change his constituency from Morena to Gwalior.
The state selection committee consists of state BJP president Narendra Singh Tomar, chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and organisation secretary Arvind Menon .
In its list for 24 of the 29 constituencies the party dropped four sitting MPs, rewarded two defectors and fielded three legislators.
