Not in race for chief ministership: Uma

New Delhi, Jan 21: Uma Bharati, BJP's star campaigner in Uttar Pradesh, asserted that she was not a Chief Ministerial candidate of the party in the state.

Bharti, who is contesting from Charkari assembly seat in the state and hails from Madhya Pradesh, said she will be a "guard" in Uttar Pradesh.

"I am not a chief ministerial candidate. Sincerely, I am saying I am not in the race for Chief Minister. (But) I am in the race for kind of a guard," the 52-year-old said.

She was replying to a question on whether she was a chief ministerial candidate of BJP in the state.

The former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister refused to comment on L K Advani's statement that the party should not go faceless in the polls in the crucial state but said the senior BJP leader knew her views on the matter.

Asked about her campaigning in the state, Bharti, a prominent OBC leader of BJP who has been attacked by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for being an "outsider", said Uttar Pradesh was like "home" to her.

"Uttar Pradesh has been very close to my heart," she said Bharti said BSP was the main political opponent of her party in the state. The BJP had on Wednesday declared Bharti's candidature from Charkari assembly seat but refused to say whether she will be projected as the Chief Ministerial candidate.

Asked about possible post-poll tie ups, she said, "I will not say about the future.... I am confident BJP will form the government."

PTI