Cong fields Seshan opposite Advani

When pointed out that Seshan was a rank outsider and might not click in the present surcharged political atmosphere in the State, a senior party leader in Delhi said that it did not matter where the Congress candidate hailed from, because even Advani did not belong to Gujarat and he too, like Seshan, was a rank outsider.

Reacting to this developement, official spokesman of the BJP Bharat Pandya said it would make no difference to Advani’s margin of victory. “In fact,had the Congress better intentions for Seshan, it would have fielded him from some safe seat, instead of a BJP bastion like Gandhinagar,” Pandya said.

He said Seshan was merely being made a scapegoat and would be used as a media gimmick by the Congress. He expressed doubt over Congress workers sincerely working for a person like Seshan, during whose tenure as Chief Election Commissioner, they had suffered the most during elections. He said the Congress workers might not even respect the high command decision in this connection.

Pandya said fielding Seshan would help the Congress in shifting the blame for its impending defeat. “It can then easily say that it was Seshan who lost to Advani,” he said. Even Seshan, he said, was a compromise candidate because he was approached in the end after trying their luck with others, including film personalities.

Meanwhile, Girish Dani filed papers for Ahmedabad seat and Shankersinh Vaghela for Kapadvanj seat.