BJP rank and file and loyalists are angry with the party high command for the manner in which party preferred outsiders, turncoats and newcomers in the first list of 53 candidates.

What could be a sadder commentary on party affairs than supporters of former state party chief and senior leader Surya Pratap Shahi burning the effigy of BJP national president Rajnath Singh in Deoria? This was done to protest against party’s decision of giving ticket to veteran BJP leader and MLA from Lucknow Kalraj Mishra from their constituency.

Supporters are upset that Surya Pratap Shahi had been preparing for his elections well in advance, especially after he was given assurance from senior party leaders that he would be given a ticket. So much so, UP in-charge Amit Shah, too, had addressed meetings in his favour sometime back.

BJP leaders from Deoria, Jaunpur, Ghazipur, Meerut, Unnao, Firozabad have lodged their protest to senior leaders in state headquarters to change the candidates at the earliest. In several places, party workers have resolved to visit Delhi and meet central leaders to lodge their protest.

Meanwhile, BJP national president Rajnath Singh is facing tough time in Lucknow from BJP workers who had been expecting either BJP PM candidate Narendra Modi or retaining sitting MP Lalji Tandon.

It would be worth mentioning here that sitting MP and close associate of Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Lalji Tandon, is quite upset about being replaced by BJP national president Rajnath Singh from his seat.

Tandon had been saying that he would only vacate his seat for Narendra Modi or he would contest.

Although Tandon has been saying that he would extend all his support to Rajnath Singh but people of Lucknow have not forgotten he was instrumental in the defeat of BJP candidate Amit Puri from Lucknow west assembly seat, which is vacated by him when he won Lok Sabha in 2009. Tandon wanted Lucknow west seat ticket for his son but the party opted for Amit Puri. As a result, Tandon loyalists helped Congress candidate Shyam Kishore Shukla winning the seat.

Political pundits opine that if Tandon loyalists could adopt the same attitude in Lok Sabha polls then Rajnath Singh could be in trouble as Congress candidate Rita Bahuguna Joshi is emerging as a potential threat. Joshi is gaining support from powerful Brahmin community and Muslims and people from UP hills settled in Lucknow. In this erstwhile city of nawabs, it is these sections that had sent Atal Bihari Vajpayee to Lok Sabha five times.

As per the indications, BJP is expected to give more tickets to outsiders and turncoats for remaining 26 seats.

From Dumriaganj, Congress sitting MP Jagdambika Pal may get ticket as he had already met BJP national president Rajnath Singh after quitting his party and Lok Sabha seat well in advance. BJP workers are so angry with this development they burnt effigy of pal in Lucknow as well as in Sidharthnagar.

Similarly, in Kaiserganj BJP is all set to give ticket to mafia-turned-politician Brij Bhushan Sarn Singh, who recently resigned from Samajwadi Party.

In Gonda, BJP is all set to field Kirti Vardhan Singh, former Samajwadi Party MP who recently joined BJP. Chief minister Akhilesh Yadav was upset by this development that he sacked Kirti Vardhan’s father Anand Singh who was cabinet minister.

For Ghaziabad, BJP could give ticket to General VK Singh, who recently joined the party but local leaders are not happy as they were expecting that those who had been preparing for the polls would be given preference.

In Mizapur, BJP is in touch with Anupriya Patel of Apna Dal. But the fact remains that Patel is asking for three seats for her party, but BJP is insisting on the merger, which Patel has declined.

However, BJP leaders are confident that Modi wave in their favour would help party in winning maximum number of seats and RSS leaders too have been deputed to deal with local leaders to buy peace in favour of official candidates. Nevertheless, it’s going to be a difficult task altogether. (IPA Service)