Sushma Swaraj determined not to contest Lok Sabha polls
New Delhi, Mar 23 :The election to Vidisha parliamentary seat along with a few others in Madhya Pradesh could turn more exciting in the coming days.
Finally, it seems the BJP leadership is reconciled to the idea that ace parliamentarian and former Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj – also the incumbent External Affairs Minister – will not contest from the seat.
The issue reportedly figured at the BJP CEC and state core group’s meeting on Friday night once again with the state leaders yet again requesting Ms Swaraj to contest.
The External Affairs Minister, had last year, announced that she will not contest the polls owing to health problems but that was no retirement from politics.
According to a party source, the BJP CEC may announce the names of 20 seats out of 29 in the central Indian state – where the party had won 27 in 2014.
“Now, that Sushmaji is not contesting finally, we have to look for a suitable candidate from Vidisha,” a party source said.
Apparently, Ms Swaraj’s family is also against the idea of her contesting parliamentary polls this time, the source said.
The Madhya Pradesh core group and BJP CEC meeting on Friday late night was attended among others by former Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.
Vidisha is a known BJP citadel and was once represented by Atal Bihari Vajpayee as well.
In fact, Madhya Pradesh has a number of BJP stronghold seats such as Bhopal, Indore and Bhind besides Vidisha – those the Congress has not won for decades.
Sources said Congress Chief Minister Kamal Nath has promised a different show to party president Rahul Gandhi this time and will want to win some of these seats to make a necessary political statement that the state Assembly poll victory of the grand-old-party in December last year was not accidental.
UNI