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BJP denies ticket to Sakhlecha

The Bharatiya Janata Party has fielded two former Madhya Pradesh chief ministers for the Lok Sabha election, but denied ticket to another, Virendra Kumar Sakhlecha.

While the Congress is yet to finalise the names of its candidates from several MP constituencies, the BJP has announced the candidates for all the 40 seats.

Former BJP chief minister Kailash Joshi will take on Chief Minister Digvijay Singh's younger brother Laxman Singh in Rajgarh constituency. Joshi is contesting a Lok Sabha election for the first time.

Yet another former chief minister Sundarlal Patwa, who defeated former Union minister Kamal Nath in a Lok Sabha by-election last year, will contest the seat again.

Saklecha, who lost from the Satna Lok Sabha constituency in 1996, failed to get the nomination this time. The party also changed its candidates in nine constituencies.

Three leaders, who had resigned from other parties to join the BJP, were selected as candidates. Senior tribal leader Dalip Singh Bhuria, who represented the Jhabua constituency as a Congress MP, has been fielded from the same seat.

Similarly, socialist leaders Chandramani Tripathi and Ramanand Singh, who had joined the BJP some time ago, have been nominated from the Rewa and Satna constituencies respectively.

Bajrang Dal president Jaibhan Singh Peviya is the BJP nominee from Gwalior, from where Congress general secretary Madhavrao Scindia is seeking re-election. In 1996, the BJP did not field any candidate against Scindia, who had then constested under the banner of his Madhya Pradesh Vikas Congress.

Former Union health minister and BJP leader Sartaj Singh, who won the last three elections from Hoshangabad, will be fielded from the same constituency. Congress Working Committee member Arjun Singh is likely to contest this seat.

UNI

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