A large section within the Madhya Pradesh unit of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party has expressed resentment over the party’s decision to announce Mr Chandan Mitra’s candidature for the Rajya Sabha from Madhya Pradesh as he is considered an outsider in the state.
On being contacted, many state Bharatiya Janata Party leaders preferred anonymity and shared their concern expressing the view that their party has always believed in building and promoting leadership at the grassroots level.
One of the them said, “It is unfortunate that despite winning the state Assembly election twice in a row, we have failed to prop up two Rajya Sabha candidates from Madhya Pradesh.”
Welcoming the nomination of Mr Anil Dave for Rajya Sabha, a state party office-bearer said that his party would have moved in the right direction if it had selected a state party leader either representing women or the SC/ST and backward communities for the second Rajya Sabha seat which the BJP is sure of winning given its strength in the state Assembly.
He said that the state election committee of the BJP had submitted a panel of names for nomination to the Upper House and all of them were worthy of a ticket.