Senior politician R. Roshan Baig, one of the disqualified MLAs who has been left stranded after the BJP blocked his entry into the party, has decided to stay away from electoral politics for now. He told The Hindu that he wants to “remain a social activist for some time”.
Mr. Baig, who on Saturday had called a meeting to consult his well-wishers, supporters and councillors from Shivajinagar before taking a call on what next, said his relationship with Shivajinagar Assembly constituency went beyond politics. “Winning and losing is part of life and there are going to be many elections in future,” he said.
In an emotional social media post on Monday, he talked of his political career as a representative of Shivajinagar, where he was born and brought up.
Ground reality
According to sources close to Mr. Baig, the senior leader had realised the ground reality that it was difficult for him to emerge victorious if he contested as an Independent, especially post the Ayodhya verdict. “His supporters from the Hindu community are now favouring the BJP. At a time when the JD(S) and the Congress have fielded Muslims candidates, the community votes, 90% of which were earlier in his favour, would naturally split,” sources said. “Moreover, when the byelections are less than three weeks away, he has little time to establish himself as an Independent candidate.”
IMA scam
Meanwhile, with the IMA scam sword hanging over his head, some people said Mr. Baig’s decision to stay away from contesting the bypolls is “mainly to protect himself from being fixed in the scam”. It is important for him to remain in the good books of the ruling party, said an associate, adding that he may stand a chance of getting into the BJP at least in the future.
“He may indirectly support the BJP candidate and ensure the defeat of Congress candidate Rizwan Arshad,” sources said.
