With the crisis over the choice of the Lok Sabha seat for party patriarch L.K. Advani over, the BJP on Thursday attempted to dispel notions of its being a party with “differences.”
At the end of the day, which was marked by a ‘who will blink first’ scenario, party president Rajnath Singh and Mr. Advani came out with separate statements, respecting each other’s views.
“Today, Rajnath Singh informed me that the Madhya Pradesh unit of the BJP has also suggested my name for contesting the Bhopal parliamentary seat. He has further informed me that after consulting all colleagues on the Parliamentary Board and the CEC of the party, it has been agreed that the choice between the two parliamentary seats should be left to me,” Mr. Advani said in a statement.
Recalling that he had some weeks ago expressed his desire to contest from Gandhinagar itself as he had been “integrally connected with Gujarat” since migrating from Karachi in 1947, Mr. Advani said he had conveyed his decision to contest from that constituency.
Mr. Advani noted that Gujarat Chief Minister and the party’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi met him early on Thursday and “emphasised that the people of Gujarat are keen that I represent Gandhinagar in the Lok Sabha once again.”
