Jaswant Singh to file nomination as independent from Barmer today, says supporters want him to quit BJP

Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Jaswant Singh is expected to file his nomination papers today to contest elections from Barmer in Rajasthan as an independent candidate.

He said he "does not want to leave the BJP, but people want him to."

"I am not doing this. Party workers opinion that I should do it," Singh said when asked if he is quitting BJP.

Singh on Sunday said that he is not a furnishing table or chair that the party will keep on changing his place according to their suitability.

"I saw a leader of the party on television saying that they were not able to adjust Jaswant Singh but now we will adjust him. The views behind these words are full of ego and arrogance. It is very insulting," Singh told ANI.

"I am not a furnishing table or chair that you will keep on changing my places according to your suitability," he added.

Calling BJP a divided party, the former union minister had earlier said, "One which is real and the other is unreal or better put original and duplicate. Unfortunately the duplicate part has the reins of party now."

The Central Election Committee of the BJP decided on Friday not to give in to Jaswant Singh's demand/request to grant him a ticket to contest the general elections from Rajasthan's Barmer District.

Speculation is rife that the RSS and Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje have had a say in denying Jaswant Singh the ticket.

The rejection of Jaswant Singh comes soon after another leader L.K.Advani was told that he could only contest from Gandhinagar, instead of his preferred choice of Bhopal.