Jaswant miffed, seeks ticket from Barmer

Jaipur, March 21 (IANS) Senior BJP leader Jawant Singh is annoyed over not being considered from Rajasthan's Barmer constituency and "may even consider" contesting the Lok Sabha elections as an independent, a party leader said.

Bharatiya Janata Party leaders have begun to pacify Jaswant Singh, who has threatened to quit the party and contest from Barmer as an independent.

Jaswant Singh, sources said, has expressed his annoyance over the party's decision not to field him from Barmer.

"He may even consider contesting the election as an independent," a senior state leader told IANS Friday.

Jaswant Singh reprresented Darjeeling in the outgoing 15th Lok Sabha.

Sources said that Jaswant Singh protested following the possibility that the party would field Colonel Sonaram, who recently switched to the BJP from the Congress, from Barmer.

Barmer district BJP leaders have warned that they would resign if Sonaram is fielded.

They say that someone who has for long been with the Congress should not be fielded from Basrmer as this will send a wrong message to the voters.

The Rajasthan BJP is facing dissidence from some senior leaders and workers after the party's candidates for the Lok Sabha polls were announced.

For instance, Sumedhanand, the BJP candidate from Sikar, being opposed by some sections who wanted the ticket for local leaders like Subhash Maharia or Hariram Ranwa.

"Some workers pelted stones at the cavalcade of Sumedhanand when he was on his way to his Piprali ashram from Bajore in Sikar yesterday (Thursday)," said a BJP leader in Sikar.

Supporters of Ranwa and Maharia held separate meetings with local leaders to register their protest.

A delegation of party workers will soon meet Chief Minister Vashundhara Raje to convey their opposition to the manner in which tickets have been distributed.

Maharia, a former minister in prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's government, may also contest as an independent if he is denied a BJP ticket.

Some leaders are also protesting against shooter-turned-politician Col. (retd) Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore's candidature from the Jaipur rural constituency.

Voting for the 25 parliamentary constituencies in the state will take place April 17 and 24. In the last elections in 2009, the Congress won 20 seats and the BJP four, while one seat was won by an Independent.