BJP to contest poll without CM candidate

A member of the BJP’s Central Parliamentary Board said the central leadership has already discussed the issue and resolved to not declare any candidate for the CM post. Party state president Surya Pratap Shahi confirmed: “So far,it has been decided that no leader would be declared as chief ministerial candidate before the polls.”

Shahi declined to give any reason for the party’s decision. “It had been the policy of BJP to not declare chief ministerial candidate before the polls. It was the first time in 2007 when the party had projected Kalyan Singh as chief ministerial candidate before the polls and that had not benefited the party,” Shahi said.

But sources said the party had declared its chief ministerial candidate several times in the past. They said the BJP had got majority in UP only in the 1991 Assembly elections and then the party had not declared any chief ministerial candidate. After the elections,party leaders had selected Kalyan Singh for the chief minister’s post.

In the next two Assembly elections held in 1993 and 1996,Kalyan Singh was projected as chief minister candidate before the polls. But both times,the party did not get majority.

In the 2002 polls,Rajnath Singh was projected as the party’s candidate for CM post. The party’s position did not improve in the Assembly in 2007 when Kalyan Singh was declared chief ministerial candidate before the polls.

Party sources said the decision was taken in order not to annoy several high-profile leaders deployed in UP for the elections. The party first appointed national vice-president Kalraj Mishra as chairman of election campaign committee in UP. Next,it inducted Uma Bharti into the campaign.

A few months back,the party announced that former president Rajnath Singh will focus on UP. Recently,the party deputed Sanjay Joshi. In addition,there are state leaders such as Shahi and legislature party leader O P Singh.

Justifying the decision,a leader said if the party declared a chief ministerial candidate,many other leaders would become inactive.