MP bypolls: BJP leaves selection to central committee

Bhopal, Oct 4 (UNI) Madhya Pradesh's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) today bestowed on the central election committee the responsibility of selecting candidates for the October 30 bypolls to the Vidisha Lok Sabha and Malehra assembly constituencies.

The state election committee, which met at the BJP's local office, authorised the party's Madhya Pradesh unit President Satyanarayan Jatia to forward a list of probables to New Delhi.

The names of Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan's wife Sadhana, Varun Gandhi, besides ministers Lakshmikant Sharma and Rampal Singh, emerged prominently.

Vidisha is a BJP citadel as Mr Chouhan himself won it not less than five times.

Among those present at the meeting were MP Kailash Joshi, Sumitra Mahajan, Chandramani Tripathi, Ramakrishna Kusmaria, state General Secretary (Organisation) Kaptan Singh Solanki, Faggan Singh Kulaste, Jayshree Banerji and Sheetala Sahai while Vikram Verma, Babulal Gaur and Lakshminarayan Pande did not attend.

The Samajwadi Party declared its nominees a month back, Mr Munawwar Saleem -- Vidisha and Mr Surendra Yadav -- Malehra.

UNI SD-AC SY KN2211