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While on one hand L K Advani loyalist and sitting BJP member of parliament from Ahmedabad-East seat Harin Pathak faced disappointment after meeting BJP chief Rajnath Singh, his replacement noted actor Paresh Rawal was rushed to Ahmedabad by the party top brass to kick start poll campaign for the Lok Sabha and salvage the situation created after names of candidates were announced.
Pathak, a seven time MP had on Sunday had said that he was deeply hurt by the party's decision to deny him a Lok Sabah ticket. Following his public admission of disappointment, Singh had called him to New Delhi today to discuss the issue.
On Tuesday Pathak met Singh but could not get an appropriate reply from the party chief as he was busy. "I expressed my apprehensions before Rajnathji who was busy today. He suggested that since there are many people present, he would convey party's decision over the issues raised by me. He has heard my apprehensions," Pathak said after meeting Singh in Delhi.
Pathak, who according to sources was about to go the Jaswant Singh way, was called by Singh for a meeting yesterday late evening. The senior politician had scheduled a press conference in Ahmedabad today morning to announce his decision after BJP denied him ticket for the general elections.
The press conference was cancelled at the last moment after Singh's phone call to Pathak asking him to meet to discuss the ticket issue. The veteran politician on Sunday had expressed his displeasure over his party denying him ticket for the 2014 L ok Sabha elections and said that he was 'hurt' by the decision, but denied being targeted for being close to Advani.
Upon his arrival at the Ahmedabad airport, Rawal, the new candidate, refuted his 'outsider' tag and said he very much belonged to Ahmedabad. "I am not at all an outsider. I belong to Ahmedabad and I usually stay here for almost a month once a year. Many of my relatives live here and my native place Paliad is also nearby."
He also denied having any rift with Pathak: "We don't have any differences. He is like my elder brother and we will work together for the BJP."
Rawal, who was accompanied by senior BJP leaders I K Jadeja and Pradipsinh Jadeja at the airport - said: "Making Narendra Modi our next Prime Minister is the most important agenda for me."
