BJP may field Varun Gandhi

New Delhi: The opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) may field Varun Gandhi to contest the Gwalior Lok Sabha seat.

The Gwalior seat fell vacant when Ramsevak Singh of the ruling Congress party was expelled last month after being caught on camera taking a bribe to ask questions in a sting operation along with 10 other lawmakers.

While there is near unanimity within the BJP to nominate the young Gandhi, opinions are somewhat divided over whether to field him from Gwalior or nearby Vidisha seat, which will also fall vacant before June this year.

BJP sources, however, say Varun has expressed his desire to opt for the Gwalior seat.

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan had won the Vidisha seat in May 2004 general elections. Under the law, he has to become a member of the state legislative assembly within six months of taking office and will have to resign from the Lok Sabha once elected to state legislature.

As and when Varun is elected, the Lok Sabha will present a perfect picture of a divided Gandhi-Nehru family with two members each of the family representing the ruling party and its principal opposition.

While Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul Gandhi are members of the treasury bench, Sonia's estranged sister-in-law Maneka Gandhi is a BJP lawmaker.

According to original plans, Maneka was supposed to keep her Pilibhit seat of Uttaranchal hot for Varun. The BJP, however, does not want to wait until 2009 when the next general elections are due.

Former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee is among those favouring Varun's early induction into the Lok Sabha. Varun turned 25 last year, which is mandatory to stand for the Lok Sabha. Contesting the election from Madhya Pradesh is considered suitable for Varun since the BJP had won 25 out of 29 Lok Sabha seats from the state. It being a BJP-ruled state could also help Varun Gandhi.

Those favouring Varun's nomination from Vidisha argue that it will be a safe bet for him since it is seen as a BJP pocket borough. BJP sources, however, say that Varun has expressed his interest in Gwalior, the reason being he wants to carve out his own niche in politics since, irrespective of the candidate, the focus at Vidisha will be on Chouhan.

Ramsevak Singh's expulsion has convinced Varun that voters at Gwalior will anyway support a non-Congress candidate.

According to sources, a final decision in this regard will be taken only after the name of the Congress candidate becomes known.

There are reports that the Congress party is wooing Madhavi Raje Scindia, widow of Madhavrao Scindia, to contest the Gwalior seat. Madhavi Raje's son, Jyotiraditya, represents the nearby Guna seat in the Lok Sabha.

"Yes, it will be tough to win the Gwalior seat if Madhavi Raje agrees to file her nomination," the BJP sources admitted, pointing out that voters of Gwalior continue to be loyal to the erstwhile royal family.

DIVIDED
Politics splits Gandhi-Nehru family

• The elite Gandhi-Nehru family is divided with former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi's widow Sonia and son Rahul representing the Congress party in the Lok Sabha.
• His younger brother Sanjay Gandhi's widow Maneka is a BJP lawmaker, while son Varun is tipped to contest a by-election to the Lok Sabha.
• Gwalior's erstwhile royal family Scindias are also divided. While Vijayaraje Scindia was with the BJP, her son Madhavrao Scindia opted for the Congress. They refused to cross each other's path, refused to even campaign against each other. While Vijayaraje preferred Guna, Madhavrao contested from Gwalior.
• After the death of Vijayaraje, Madhavrao shifted to Guna. Madhavrao's son Jyotiraditya also opted for Guna when his father died in an air crash in 2002.
• Madhavrao's two sisters Vasundhara Raje and Yashodhara Raje are in the BJP. While Vasundhara Raje is Rajasthan Chief Minister, Yashodhara Raje is a former Madhya Pradesh lawmaker, vying to contest the Gwalior Lok Sabha seat.
• Vasundhara Raje's son Dushyant Singh represents Rajasthan's Jhalawar Lok Sabha seat as a BJP member.