Uma's BJS makes poll debut in MP

Vidisha(MP), Oct 26 (UNI) Bhartiya Jan Shakti, floated by Sadhvi Uma Bharti less than six months ago after her expulsion from BJP, is making its electoral debut in the prestigious Lok Sabha byelection in BJP-stronghold Vidisha in Madhya Pradesh.

BJS, which was launched at a function at Ujjain on April 30, has fielded its state unit President Raghunandan Sharma to take on BJP candidate and state PHE Minister Rampal Singh and Mrs Rajshri Singh of Congress. Mr Munnawar Salim of Samajwadi Party and 6 independents were also in the fray.

Vidisha, which came into existence in 1967, returned Congress candidates only in 1980 and 1984. Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee was elected from Vidisha in 1991, but quit it as he opted to retain a seat from Uttar Pradesh. Newspaper baron Ramnath Goenka was elected as Jan Sangh candidate from Vidisha in 1971.

The seat fell vacant due to resignation by Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on his election to the Assembly from Budhni.

Mr Chouhan held the seat for five terms in a row. Development is the main poll plank of main contestants.

Ms Bharti, a former Chief Minister, fielded Ms Rekha Yadav as her party candidate from Malehra, which she vacated on 'moral grounds' after her expulsion from BJP for questioning the procedure adopted for Mr Chouhan's election as BJP legislature party leader in November last year.

The rural parliamentary constituency is spread over mainly in Vidisha, Sehore and Raisen districts, besides four villages of Babai tahsil in Hoshangabad district. All but one of the 8 Assembly segments were at present held by BJP.

The ruling BJP which drew flak from the Election Commission during the Assembly byelection in Budhni, when Mr Chouhan was its nominee, is moving with caution making the campaign a low-key affair. BJP also issued directives to its leaders and legislators not to visit the constituency without prior approval.

The byelection is considered prestigious by BJP as also BJS, both protagonists of Hindutwa ideology, while the Congress is trying to bank on the split in the votes with Ms Bharti facing an acid test in her home turf.

Mr Chouhan himself took command of the BJP campaign in his former constituency as it was second byelection after Budhni since he took over the state's reigns.

As many as 13,15,311 electorate are scheduled to exercise their franchise in 1480 booths on October 30 and the votes will be counted on November 2.

Congress candidate Mrs Rajshri Singh is a former district panchayat chief. Traditional rivals BJP and Congress had fielded Rajput candidates in the OBC-dominated constituency with local BJP leaders clamouring for a local candidate negating the party move to field former Union Minister Maneka Gandhi's son Varun.

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