BJP works on bringing Kalyan back again

Sources said that efforts to bring back the Lodh leader started after the state BJP’s “Karya Yojna Baithak” that was held in Agra last month. Several senior leaders,who attended the meet gave their consent to Kalyan’s return. A former BJP national president also met Kalyan Singh in this connection earlier this month,sources said.

BJP leaders admit that the party cannot come to power at the Centre without doing well in UP. For this,the party needed a leader with statewide acceptance and Kalyan Singh fitted the role most. “He belongs to Lodh community,which has a presence across the state. In addition to this,his commitment to Hindutva could help revive the BJP in the state,” said a senior BJP leader.

Kalyan Singh dismissed any possibility of his rejoining the BJP. He even denied that any BJP leader had discussed the matter with him. He is busy preparing for a meeting of his Jan Kranti Party (JKP) in Lucknow on October 5. However,a JKP leader said that Kalyan Singh might use the meeting for sounding out his party leaders before responding to the BJP’s overtures. He also admitted that Kalyan Singh had few options left after the party’s miserable performance in the Assembly elections. The JKP had fielded 208 candidates,all of whom lost badly,including his son Rajvir in Debai in Bulandshahr district,and daughter-in-law Premlata from Atrauli in Aligarh.