BJP ticket hopefuls rebel against outsiders in Uttar Pradesh

The BJP which prides itself on being the "party with a difference" seems to be fast growing into a party with differences. At least that holds true for the BJP in Uttar Pradesh. The party is facing a wave of resentment from party workers as well as some top state-level leaders over the entry of "outsiders" who have apparently been lured with the offer of Lok Sabha tickets.

What is worse is that the crisis in the BJP over tickets for UP is not limited to Varanasi and Lucknow. However, senior leaders are in denial and say things would be sorted out soon. "Just wait for a day.

Everything will be worked out. There is no confusion or resentment," senior BJP leader Kalraj Mishra told reporters in Lucknow. The BJP is expected to announce its candidates for UP on Saturday.
The scene outside the BJP office in Allahabad on Friday reflected the ire prevailing in the party rank and file against "outsiders". The BJP workers staged a 'dharna' at their own party office and raised slogans of "Bahari pratyashi nahi chalega" (outsider candidates will not be tolerated).

Sources say former BSP minister Nand Gopal Gupta 'Nandi' is sure to get the party ticket from Allahabad. Gupta's claim to fame is that he defeated veteran BJP leader Kesarinath Tripathi on his electoral debut in the 2007 Assembly election. Gupta and his wife Abhilasha, mayor of Allahabad, are slated to join the party soon. "How can a leader who has not been a BJP member for even a day, get the party's Lok Sabha ticket," says Nar Singh, president of the BJP's youth wing Allahabad unit. "Such candidates will destroy the BJP's prospects all over the state. We will not work with such people," he said.

The workers held placards voicing their demand to shun "outsider" candidates. One placard read "Bahari pratyashi = 272-1" ostensibly meaning that such candidates would defeat the BJP's "Mission 272+". The sources said that Udaybhan Karvaria, three-time BJP MLA from Bara (Allahabad), and Kesarinath Tripathi were among the hopefuls for the party ticket here.

If party veteran Tripathi has been ignored in Allahabad, once among BJP's most prominent 'Hindutva' mascots Vinay Katiyar has been sidelined in Faizabad from where he has been MP. Katiyar wants to contest the seat again but sources say the party leadership is keen on fielding Uma Bharti. Hailing from Madhya Pradesh, she was one of the main accused in the Ayodhya demolition case and is expected to raise a shrill pitch over the issue.

Similarly, BJP vice-president Kalyan Singh is reportedly sulking over not being allowed to dictate his choice in his home district Aligarh. In Domariaganj, ex-Congress leader Jagdambika Pal, who recently joined the BJP, is sure to get the ticket despite opposition within the party.

Eyebrows have also been raised over Samajwadi Party's Kaiserganj MP and mafia don Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh joining the BJP. He is known to have bargained for the BJP ticket to his son Prateek for this seat. In neighbouring Gonda, former SP MP Kirti Vardhan Singh has joined the BJP for the same reason, causing considerable heart-burn among local BJP leaders and workers. But, apparently, the party leadership is least bothered.