BJP’s Kailash Joshi withdraws from Bhopal race

After digging in his heels till the last moment, BJP’s MP from Bhopal and former chief minister Kailash Joshi has finally decided to withdraw from the race. On Sunday, the octogenarian announced that he was no longer a contender for the prestigious Bhopal seat because he felt it was time after a career in politics spanning 60 years.

Along with veterans L K Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi, the Madhya Pradesh leader earlier appeared to be in no mood to call it quits despite advancing age, creating a piquant situation for the party. While the other two are still in the race, 84-year-old Joshi claimed the decision to withdraw from the race was his own and not dictated either by Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan or state chief Narendra Tomar. He spoke to both but only after making up his mind.

In 2009, there was speculation over his candidature when Leader of Opposition Sushma Swaraj was in search of a safe seat. He refused to budge, forcing Swaraj to announce that she was not eyeing the Bhopal seat. One of the oldest parliamentarians, Joshi realised things were not the same any longer and yet at every forum he threw his hat in the ring before he read the writing on the wall.

The BJP began to work through his son Deepak Joshi, a minister in the Chouhan government, and tasked him to persuade his father to give up his claim on the Bhopal seat. Ironically, the Joshi senior had to use his clout to ensure a ticket for his son in the assembly election.