Poll vault: BJP may field a new face in city

The Pune Lok Sabha seat that the BJP will stake claim to,after arriving at a seat-sharing pact with the Shiv Sena,is likely to see a third candidate from the party other than Vikas Matkari and Anil Shirole.

The Pune Lok Sabha seat that the BJP will stake claim to,after arriving at a seat-sharing pact with the Shiv Sena,is likely to see a third candidate from the party other than Vikas Matkari and Anil Shirole.

The party leadership is keen on a new candidate to avoid any kind of factionalism within the party and the buzz is that it has already approached people from outside the party for this. Even as the central committee is set to declare the list for the state on March 17,speculation is rife in party circles over the third name.

A senior leader said the party is looking for a new face who will have a hold over the public. A third face will definitely emerge in the list, he said,even as another clarified that the candidates name is not amongst those speculated in the media. Senior leaders are tight-lipped on the third face,but they admit that there is a need for such a candidate because of differences in the party. A senior leader said all they need is a winning candidate and that does not necessarily mean that the person has to be from the party.

For Baramati,Sangita Rajenimbalkars name is doing the rounds. We are considering all options as the person will have to take on NCP supremos daughter Supriya Sule, a member said.

Click here to join Express Pune WhatsApp channel and get a curated list of our stories