BJP scanning performance of MPs

Raipur, December 26

To finalise candidates for upcoming general elections, Chhattisgarh BJP has started scanning performance of its MPs. Upbeat by its third consecutive victory in assembly polls, the party is now aiming to win all the 11 Lok Sabha seats in April-May 2014. Last time, the party had won ten seats while Congress could manage to win only one.

According to information, the BJP had conducted surveys of its MLAs and MPs twice earlier this year. It was on the basis of these surveys the party had denied ticket to 14 sitting MLAs.

In these surveys, the performance report of all the BJP MPs was found below average. In four seats - Korba, Mahasamund, Bastar and Kanker, the party’s position is very weak it might even struggle for victory.

Considering these revelations, the party is likely to replace few faces either with newer ones or with lost MLAs. More importantly, after demise of its two MPs – Dilip Singh Judeo from Bilaspur and Murailal Singh from Sarguja, the party will have to field appropriate candidates in these constituencies to retain them.

In this context, CM Raman Singh, State BJP president Ramsewak Paikra and organisational secretary Rampratap Singh recently presented the State’s scenario to party supremo Rajnath Singh at New Delhi.

Rajnath Singh has reportedly directed the trio to make constituency-wise poll strategy and prepare the list of candidates after holding talks with local MLAs, district and mandal presidents.

Besides, he asked the State unit to hold workers’ meets to know their opinion about party MPs. The party insiders say that the objective of the workers’ meets was to minimise sabotage by allowing the workers to have their say in open forum and make them feel included in candidate-selection process.

Sources informed that Rajnath Singh has given one month’s time to the State BJP to send the list of LS candidates. Meanwhile, the party’s national unit will two more surveys in the State, one will be done by its special teams and other by a professional agency. The final list of 11 will be made after tallying State unit’s recommendations and latest survey reports. The names of candidates would be announced in two phases in February.