Ahmedabad/Gandhinagar, 28 January 2014

Veteran BJP leader Shri LK Advani on Friday hinted he wants BJP to select him as candidate for Gandhinagar Lok Sabha seat.

During his visit to Gujarat to attend a meeting today Shri Advani in his reply to media persons said, “my name is not there in first list of Lok Sabha election candidates declared by party, but even today I have come here to Gandhinagar to attend vigilance committee meeting here, so my interest is very clear, rest party will decide.”

Advani said if Kutch was not reserve seat, he could have liked to choose to contest from Kutch. It should be mentioned here that Advani was born in Sindh and initially migrated to Kutch after creation of Pakistan.

Author’s note:

Shri Advani is sitting MP of Gandhinagar in Gujarat. Gandhinagar is considered one of the safest seats in India for BJP. Advani lives in Delhi and during his five-year long term his total days of visits to Gandhinagar could be less than or around 30, that too without nigh-halt here.Shri Advani has not asked single question in Lok Sabha during his present five years term. He has failed to attend meetings of Gujarat MPs called by Chief Minister.

Gandhinagar voters by-and-large are kind enough to elect Advaniji because they don’t like Congress party, and they respect BJP ideology. Then Advani has played excellent role in shaping up the BJP and his role in late 1980s and early 1990s can’t be undermined(Advani lives in Delhi and he was Delhi MP in the past. He came to contest from safe Gandhinagar seat after Rajesh Khanna challenged him in Delhi.) Even this time if Advani is selected for Gandhinagar Lok Sabha seat, he will be re-elected for sure.

But the question is why leaders tagged as ‘senior’ should choose to contest from easy seats where any other party candidate would ensure victory? Why shouldn’t they choose to contest difficult seat or borderline seat to increase party’s number? Look at Nitin Gadkari. He wants to contest from Nagpur, the seat which has been traditionally with Congress(barring only on two occasions;in 1962 independent candidate won while in 1996 BJP won this seat). Nagpur is also hometown of Gadkari. Now compare Gadkari with Sushma and Advani. Sushma was made Chief Minister of Delhi, but in subsequent elections under her leadership, BJP lost badly. Then she selected safe Lok Sabha seat in Madhya Pradesh to contest. This ‘Vidisha’ was such a safe seat for BJP that any tiny party worker could win it. After getting elected from one of the easiest seats, Sushmaji became Leader of opposition and enjoyed the status of cabinet minister for full five years. Arun Shourie describes such leaders as stateless leaders.

One of the reasons why a new party got momentum in Delhi recently was that many capable people aspired to get elected to assembly found a new party good vehicle. What happens mostly is that, a person is elected to assembly or parliament, only if he gets ticket of a party that is likely to win in that particular area. So party ticket is absolutely necessary to get elected in most of the cases. Now what parties do is, Generally they select sitting MLA or MP or his son to contest, and this happens for years and years. In such cases basic party workers or others fail to get chance.

Following Advani’s one hour long meeting with Ahmedabad MP Harin Pathak today, speculations are in air on Pathak’s displeasure over ticket issue. Those journalists friendly to Pathak know how much Pathak is worried over party ticket issue this time! Gujarat BJP had denied ticket to Advani loyalist Pathak in year 2009, replacing him with Modi-loyalist Kaushik Patel. However party’s national parliamentary board, particularly Sushma and Advani backed Pathak and overruled the state unit decision. Thus Pathak got chance to contest again from Ahmedabad seat. Pathak was not absolutely necessary to win Ahmedbad seat again. Anyone else could win from this seat on BJP ticket. Pathak has been elected from Ahmedabad seat(lastly Ahmedabad-East seat) for last seven terms, majorly just because he is BJP candidate. He has got all that one could imagine from political life. During the last assembly elections Pathak was assigned the task to ensure victory for party on Dehgam seat which is part of Pathak’s Lok Sabha constituency, but Pathak couldn’t deliver Dehgam to party. Yes Pathak is experienced, active, former minister of state, and his office in the basement of his house in Maninagar area serves local people/visitors efficiently, but the question is, after one person is given chance to enjoy the position for seven terms, shouldn’t anyone else from thousands of other workers get chance? Yes in two cases a single person should get chance repeatedly till the end of his life – (1) if only he and he can ensure victory on that particular seat for party, and (2) he is absolutely important for party and nation for greater common good. Advani and Pathak don’t fall in first category, at least when it comes to Gandhinagar and Ahmedabad seats. If party believes they fit in the second category, purely in terms of number, party has nothing to lose, under BJP’s banner they shall win, but that would be too stereotype, traditional approach.