Elections 2014: Dissension in BJP over choice of Lok Sabha candidates

Kirron Kher was greeted with black flags by party workers who are miffed about local leaders being ignored

Update: 2014-03-19 01:25 GMT

Actor and BJP Lok Sabha candidate Kirron Kher listens to party leader Sanjay Tandon as her husband and actor Anupam Kher looks on at a press conference at the party office in Chandigarh on Tuesday. - PTI

New Delhi: Even before tasting power, the BJP seems to be tasting dissension. Massive infighting and protests have erupted within the BJP over candidate selection in various states, particularly Chandigarh, and Deoria, Unnao, Faizabad and Ghaziabad in UP.

Notwithstanding protests over former Army Chief V.K. Singh’s candidature from Ghaziabad, currently represented by BJP president Rajnath Singh, the party on Tuesday evening announced that Gen. Singh (Retd) will be its candidate from the seat. Earlier, BJP workers had staged protests outside BJP headquarters over Gen. Singh’s candidature and that of Ramesh Kaushik, who was named party candidate from Sonepat, Haryana. Gen. Singh (Retd) had to face the heat from a section of BJP workers during his visit to Ghaziabad on Monday.

Actor-turned-politician and party candidate from Chandigarh Kirron Kher was greeted with black flags by party workers who are miffed about local leaders being ignored, including former MP Satya Pal Jain. Ms Kher was visiting the city for the first time after her name was announced on Saturday. A section within the BJP’s UP unit is against the nomination of former Congress leader Jagdambika Pal from Domariyaganj. Mr Pal is expected to join the BJP soon.

They created ruckus at the BJP's party office later. Eggs were also thrown at a car by some activists in which her actor husband Anupam Kher was travelling, though Kirron was not in that vehicle.

The party has named Kher as the candidate from Chandigarh, "ignoring" three frontrunners including Satya Pal Jain, Chandigarh BJP president Sanjay Tandon and former Union minister Harmohan Dhawan. When Kher's candidature was announced by the party on Saturday, there was resentment in the Chandigarh unit of the BJP, leading to a few resignations by some office bearers of the city unit.

Meanwhile, Kirron tried to downplay the protest against her by a section of BJP workers. Seeking to reach out to those who were protesting her candidature on the grounds that she was an 'outsider', Kirron told reporters that she had her roots in Chandigarh and also had connection with neighbouring Himachal Pradesh.

"I am a daughter of Chandigarh. I was born and brought up here. I have lived here. Those opposing me are also from the BJP family. We will pacify them," Kirron said. From the Chandigarh seat, where polling will be held on April 10, former Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal is seeking re-election as Congress nominee.

Elections 2014: Dissension in BJP over choice of Lok Sabha candidates

Kirron Kher was greeted with black flags by party workers who are miffed about local leaders being ignored

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