Two campaign managers hospitalised

New Delhi: The saffron camp is calling it a "Sonia jinx."

Both the heavyweight campaign managers of Vinay Katiyar contesting Congress chief Sonia Gandhi have been hospitalised.

Katiyar's campaign against Sonia was expected to be planned and strategised by Pramod Mahajan and Kalyan Singh.

While the BJP general secretary, Pramod Mahajan, was shot by his own brother, Kalyan Singh has been hospitalised for a bypass surgery.

Both Mahajan and Singh had accompanied Katiyar to Rae Bareli during the filing of his nomination on April 20.

Desperately looking for a senior leader to assist Katiyar, the BJP now intends to send Sushma Swaraj on April 29 to Rae Bareli.

Katiyar, virtually forced by the party to contest against Sonia was reportedly fuming with none of the senior leaders making themselves available to campaign on the "Sonia turf."

Neither L.K. Advani nor BJP chief Rajnath Singh, both busy with their chariot marches, have drawn up any plans to campaign in Rae Bareli yet.

Polls will be held on May 8, while the BJP's twin chariot races will conclude on May 10.

Sources disclosed that Katiyar was fighting Sonia on one hand and Uma Bharati backed Apna Dal candidate, Prabha Singh, on the other.