Notwithstanding BJP MP Shatrughan Sinha’s strong disapproval of Narendra Modi being projected as the NDA’s prime-ministerial candidate, the BJP took the battle of one-upmanship between Modi and Nitish Kumar one step further.
The saffron outfit said that the Gujarat chief minister could contest the next Lok Sabha (LS) election from Bihar.
The party also dropped enough hints that the poll campaign committee chief may be fielded from Nitish’s home turf of Nalanda, the Lok Sabha constituency which is supposed to be a pocket borough of the Janata Dal-United (JD-U) strongman.
“Since Modi’s popularity in Bihar is increasing by leaps and bounds, we have requested him to contest the Parliamentary poll from Bihar. We have suggested Nalanda as one of the possible constituencies,” said BJP vice-president and former Union health minister Dr C P Thakur.The BJP wants to corner Nitish on his home-turf.
Nalanda is not only Nitish’s hometown, but is one of the safest Lok Sabha constituencies where the JD-U strongman romped home in 2004, despite losing in the adjoining Barh constituency. Also, Modi’s candidature will help the BJP shore up its tally in the state .
“We want the next Lok Sabha battle to begin from Nalanda. Let the people decide the country’s future,” said Dr Thakur, who is an ardent supporter of Modi .
Incidentally, Sinha had called on Nitish shortly after voicing his opposition to Modi’s coronation. The Patna Sahib MP had gone to meet the Bihar chief minister who is recuperating from a hairline fracture, sources said the closed-door parleys had more than what meets the eye.
Meanwhile, the JD-U has reacted sharply to the BJP’s plan to field Modi from Nalanda. “Is Modi’s popularity in Gujarat diminishing? If not, then why do we often get to hear that he may contest from Varanasi or Lucknow, or for that matter from Bihar?
Gujarat has been his karma bhoomi. He should test the political water from his home state,” averred JD-U Rajya Sabha MP and Nitish’s closest aide Shivanand Tiwary.