MP Polls: Not Given Ticket, BJP Leader Babulal Gaur Settles For Place in Star Campaigners List

Bhopal: Up in arms with his own party over a ticket for the upcoming assembly polls, veteran BJP MLA and former MP chief minister Babulal Gaur has been given place in the list of 40 star campaigners for the assembly polls. The inclusion of Gaur, a ten-time MLA, has amused many as the octogenarian politician had been locking horns with his own party over a ticket from Govindpura assembly seat which he represents since over 40 years.

According to sources, it was only after the intervention of party high command that Gaur on Monday late night relented on his demand. His inclusion in the list of star campaigners is a favour returned by the party, the sources said.

However, the veteran leader kept himself away from the media scrutiny on Tuesday. Sources claim that his daughter-in-law Krishna, a former Bhopal mayor, is back in contention after Gaur backtracked on ticket demand. The two had bought nomination forms on Monday, reportedly forcing party chief Amit Shah to intervene.

Senior BJP leader Uma Bharti, who is known to be a staunch critic of Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan, has also been placed in the star campaigners list which has illustrious names such as PM Narendra Modi, party chief Amit Shah, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath and senior MP and noted film actress Hema Malini.

Experts believe that CM Yogi, who has emerged as a Hindutva icon, could turn things in party’s favour — especially in the Malwa region — which has turned into a BJP citadel in the last few elections.

Bhojpuri singer and Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari, finance minister Arun Jaitley, Home minister Rajnath Singh, minister of external affairs Sushma Swaraj, union ministers Nitin Gadkari, Dharmendra Pradhan and Smriti Irani, Gujarat CM Vijay Rupani and social justice minister Thawar Chand Gehlot will also campaign in support of the party candidates.

Among the party seniors in MP, Prahlad Patel, Kailash Vijayvargiya, Vikram Verma, Yashodhara Raje Scindia, parliamentary affairs minister Narottam Mishra and Ramkrishna Kusmaria have been included in the list of star campaigners.

The name of former union minister MJ Akbar, who resigned after several women journalists accused him of sexual harassment recently, is missing from the list.