Sushma to contest polls from Delhi

At a `Face the Media’ session at the Press Club today, an aggressive Swaraj said she had fulfilled the constitutional obligation by resigning from the Union cabinet, and “any other step is unnecessary at the moment.” This was by way of denying that she was trying to keep her options open.

Swaraj had tough time justifying her party’s decision to change the Delhi chief minister a month before the elections and her initial reluctance to leave the high-profile Union portfolio for the trouble-torn state.

“I did not want to come as a replacement. Butonce I’m here, I neither lack the determination nor the willpower to succeed. The leadership thought that a change of face will brighten the party’s poll prospects. There is a substantial difference in the style of functioning,” she said, making her point on why she was brought in place Sahib Singh Verma.

However, Swaraj seemed too emphatic on the point that by projecting her as the chief ministerial candidate, the BJP had not broken away from the its earlier tradition: “Atal Behari Vajpayee was also projected — as the future Prime Minister,” she said.

Almost to prop up her argument that her case was no exception, she announced that the names of chief ministerial candidates for all the states going to polls on November 25 are also going to be announced by the BJP national executive committee.

The BJP high-command had reviewed the earlier decision taken at the Jaipur national executive meeting in August not to project any chief ministerial candidates. “The national executive will meet tomorrow andformally announce the names of chief ministerial candidates in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh,” Swaraj said.

In her earlier incarnation as BJP spokesperson, Swaraj had ridiculed other political party’s for changing chief ministers mid-stream and for lacking in inner part democracy, especially after Rabri Devi was inducted as Bihar Chief Minister, replacing her husband Laloo Yadav.

But, today, she refuted the charge that the BJP is also imposing `leaders’ without prior consultations with the legislators. “There is no question of bypassing the legislators. The party leadership decided to project me because I was the most acceptable face. Acceptable and bold.”

Swaraj acknowledged that power, water, law and order situation in Delhi has been bad in the last six months. The dropsy and onion crisis compounded the problem further.

“I cannot perform miracle in one month. I am only trying to give the indications of a will to do things better,” she said.