Varun was the choice of BJP leaders in Delhi

New Delhi, Oct 6 (UNI) Varun Gandhi would have been the BJP's candidate for the October 30 Lok Sabha byelection from Vidisha, if the party high command were to have to have their way but it was the insistance of Madhya Pradesh unit that clinched the issue for state Public Health Engineering Minister Rampal Singh.

Informed BJP sources said that Varun's name did figure in the morning's BJP Central Election Committee meeting attended by former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and ex party president L K Advani. "Varun was Delhi's choice but the leadership accomodated the MP unit's concern that the candidate should be a localite and not an outsider", a leader, not wanting to be quoted, said.

"We may have to bring Varun sooner than later to Parliament", was the answer of the BJP leader to questions of newsperson how the BJP planned to accomodate the concerns of the youngster from the Nehru family.

The party did consider the name of MP Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan's wife Sadhana Singh, who has established good equation with the constituency held by her husband for the last two terms. The party adopted a middle path by giving its nod to Rampal Singh's candidature.

In Bhagalpur, the party plumped in for former Civil Aviation Minister Shahnawaz Hussain because it would send a right political message from the Janata Dal (United) and BJP coalition to get a Muslim leader elected from Bihar. "The seat is a safe bet for the BJP and if Mr Hussain gets about 20 per cent of the Muslim votes, he will be through", the leader felt.

The party has taken no decision on fielding the party's nominee for Chimnur byelections as the party is pinning hopes on the talks between Shiv Sena Chief Bal Thakre and former BJP Deputy Chief Minister Gopinath Munde. "Things are being worked", the sources said.

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