How come Sadhvi fit to contest polls, asks Omar, citing that her bail is on health grounds

Srinagar, Apr 18: Taking a strong exception to the BJP fielding Malegaon blast accused from Bhopal for the Lok Sabha elections, National Conference (NC)'s Omar Abdullah on Thursday said Sadhvi Pragya Thakur is out on bail on health grounds, if her health does not permit her to be jail then how come she is fit enough to contest polls.

The Bharatiya Janata Party on Wednesday named Malegaon blasts accused Pragya Singh Thakur the party's candidate from Bhopal. She will contest against veteran Congress leader Digvijaya Singh.

"BJP have given ticket to a candidate who is not only an accused in a terror case but is also out on bail on health grounds. If her health condition doesn't permit her to be in jail,how does it permit her to contest polls?" Omar told the media today.

Bhopal has been a bastion for the BJP since 1989. The Congress criticised the BJP for fielding Thakur for polls.

"When known faces like Narendra Singh Toamr, Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Uma Bharti fled away from the contest, the BJP was forced to import a candidate against Digvijaya Singh," party spokesperson Pankaj Chaturvedi told News18.

BJP chief Amit Shah defended party's choice. In order to "punish" the Congress for raising the Hindu terror bogey, the BJP has pitted Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, an accused in the Malegaon blast case, against Digvijaya Singh, who has repeatedly used the phrase saffron terror in many of his remarks, from Bhopal Lok Sabha seat, Shah said.

Six people were killed and over 100 injured when an explosive device strapped on a motorcycle went off near a mosque at Malegaon in Maharashtra on September 29, 2008.