Delhi BJP MP says supporters will decide his next move

Upset over not finding his name in the first list of BJP candidates, North-West Delhi MP Udit Raj on Monday asked whether the party is anti-Dalit while insisting that he will decide his future course of action after consulting his supporters in case he is denied the ticket.

At a press conference late evening, the sulking MP said he was still waiting for a decision on his candidature though he has spoken to senior leaders like Rajnath Singh and Nitin Gadkari, who assured him to look into the matters.

Udit Raj, who successfully fought the seat in 2014 elections, described himself as the "biggest" Dalit leader in the BJP while saying that he was trying to reach out to top party leadership from Prime Minister Narendra Modi to BJP president Amit Shah. He claimed he called Shah at least ten times and send him a text message.

His unhappiness over not finding his name in the first list of four candidates announced by the BJP on Sunday first came out in the form of a series of tweets addressed to Shah and remarks to media on Monday afternoon.

Speculation is that BJP is not happy with Raj's performance and is toying with the idea of fielding another candidate in the reserved constituency. There is speculation that BJP may field singer Hansraj Hans in the seat where AAP has fielded Gugan Singh Congress has announced its working president Rajesh Lilothia as their candidates.

In the tweets, Udit Raj said, "Amit Shah-ji, I tried to talk to you many times. I had sent SMS also. Also tried to speak to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. (Delhi BJP chief) Manoj Tiwari has been constantly saying that I will get the ticket. I tried to speak to (Delhi in-charge) Nirmala Sitharaman but it didn't happen. I requested Arun Jaitley also."

He further said in the tweet that he had merged his party before the 2014 polls. "Millions of my supporters from the entire country are anxious about my ticket. My name has not yet been announced from North West Delhi. My supporters have asked me to wait till 4 pm today (Monday). Finally, I think, BJP will not deceive Dalits," he added.

Later talking to reporters, he said, "I have done good work. Is the party anti-Dalit? I am the tallest Dalit leader in the country. My supporters are pressurising me to take a decision."