BIHAR EFFECT: BJP LIKELY TO HAVE CM FACE IN UTTAR PRADESH, GOA

Having learnt hard lessons from past debacles in Bihar and Delhi, sources say BJP is all set to break the tradition of not naming CM candidates before poll results

NEW DELHI: If sources are to be believed, taking lessons from the Bihar debacle and poor results in the previous Assembly polls in states like Kerala, West Bengal, and Karnataka and even in the national Capital, BJP may come out with CM faces for poll-bound Uttar Pradesh and Goa.

Sources claimed, ending all speculations over Chief Ministerial candidates in UP and Goa, the party would name its CM picks for both the states on January 8 -- just after its National Executive meeting in the national capital on January 6 and 7.

The BJP is desperate to end its 14-year exile from power in India’s most populous state. So, it will be taking no chances.

When asked about their chief ministerial choice in Uttar Pradesh, BJP leaders dodged the query and said that ‘development’ and ‘good governance’ would be the party’s poll planks in the politicallycrucial state.

Just after the Chief Election Commissioner Naseem Zaidi announced the dates of Assembly election in five states on Wednesday, senior BJP leader and party’s General Secretary Shrikant Sharma claimed that, “UP doesn’t need family feud, or castebased vote bank policies, it needs development and good governance.”

Meanwhile, describing the Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s demonetisation move as a pro-poor initiative, BJP Parliamentarian and senior leader Bhupendra Singh Yadav claimed that during the party’s “Parivartan Yatra” of 17,000 km, the party has got positive response from the people.

In Bjp-ruled Goa also, the party has been facing a political dilemma for last couple of months -- initially with RSS senior Pracharak Subhash Velingkar who was sacked as the Sangh’s ‘Vibhag Pramukh’ following his criticism of the Bjp-led government in Goa, especially Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, over the failure to stop government grants to English medium primary schools, most of which are run by a society operated by the influential Roman Catholic Church in Goa. Another political controversy emerged over the party’s possible Chief Ministerial candidature. Some wanted defence minister and former chief minister Manohar Parrikar back in the state politics while a section of the party workers feels CM Laxmikant Parsekar’s performance has been up to the mark.

While BJP some senior leaders rubbished all speculations over Parrikar’s return to the state and said the CM candidate’s name will be decided after the party’s Parliamentary board meeting on January 8.

Meanwhile, BJP appears upbeat on its prospects in states like Punjab, Manipur and Uttarakhand. In Uttarakhand, the party brass feel it will unseat the Congress-led government beset with misgovernance and corruption. In Punjab, the party prefers to maintain the old equation with Shrimoni Akali Dal (SAD) and feels that the present government has worked for development. In Manipur however, the party is focusing more on strengthening its organisation.