Shift jailed candidates to Tihar: BJP

Varanasi, Apr 12 (UNI) BJP today demanded that candidates contesting the Uttar Pradesh assembly election from behind the bars be transferred immediately to Tihar Central Jail in New Delhi.

''For ensuring free and fair poll, the Election Commission should immediately order that all candidates contesting the UP election from behind bars be transferred to the Tihar Jail,'' BJP national general secretary Ananth Kumar told newspersons here.

''We are going to shortly write to EC in this regard. The EC has done so in past by transferring controversial RJD MP from Bihar Pappu Yadav to Tihar Jail during election there...this should be replicated in UP also,'' the former union minister maintained.

''Merely transferring the jailed candidates from one UP district to another will not be enough for holding peaceful and free and fair poll. The jail administration in UP is not well equipped to deal sternly with high-profile inmates like independent MLA Mukhtar Ansari,'' Mr Kumar claimed.

He further said if not transferred to Tihar, these candidates will try to influence the poll from behind the bars only.

Mr Kumar, however, stayed clear of queries pertaining to BJP giving ticket to those with a criminal background.

The BJP leader also predicted that there will be no hung assembly in UP saying ''the people will vote Kalyan Singh-led party to majority.'' ''In the past, the electorate voted out the corrupt central regime led by former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1977, tainted government of Rajiv Gandhi in 1989 and will now vote against corrupt regime of Mulayam Singh Yadav and Mayawati-led BSP.'' Queried on the CD controversy, Mr Kumar said if Cong-BSP-SP and Jan Morcha continued to demand BJP's derecognition by the EC, ''it will help the electoral cause of our party only.'' UNI