New Delhi: Former Prime Minister Atal
Bihari Vajpayee, who is seriously ill for the past two years,
and Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, who did not canvas
in the Bihar polls due to objections from ally JD(U), figure
in the BJP's list of election campaigners.
Vajpayee's name is the first in the list of BJP
campaigners which the party is sending to the Election
Commission for the mandatory approval in connection with the
upcoming Assembly elections in five states including Uttar
Pradesh and Punjab.
The list also sets at rest speculation of Modi's
participation in the UP election campaign. There were reports
that he may keep away as his bete noire and former General
Secretary (Organisation) of the BJP, Sanjay Joshi is one of
the party's main election in-charge in UP.
Modi had stayed away from the last BJP National
Executive as he was sulking over party President Nitin
Gadkari's decision to bring back Sanjay Joshi into the party.
Modi had stayed away from the last BJP National
Executive as he was sulking over party President Nitin
Gadkari's decision to bring back Sanjay Joshi into the party.
Joshi had to leave when a controversial CD had appeared.
Other prominent leaders to campaign in UP for BJP are
L K Advani, Sushma Swaraj, Arun Jaitley and Murli Manohar
Joshi. However, they are likely to keep away from those
constituencies where tainted candidates like Shakshi Maharaj,
Chhatrapal Singh, Bhadshah Singh and Daddan Mishra have been
fielded.
These Central leaders had objected to the induction of
tainted former Minister in Mayawati government Babu Singh
Kushwaha and made it clear that they will not campaign for
the tainted candidates.
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan,
Chhattisgarh CM Raman Singh and Jharkhand CM Arjun Munda will
also campaign in UP, along with Bihar Deputy CM Sushil Modi.
PTI
First Published: Monday, January 09, 2012, 15:35