Raman Singh under fire for BJP's by-poll defeat
Apr 2, 2007 - 3:00:38 PM
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'Why should I step down, it's the Pradeep factor that played a decisive role,' Singh told reporters on being asked by scribes who should be blamed for Rajnandgaon debacle.
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By IANS,
[RxPG] Raipur, April 2 - Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh has come under sharp criticism after the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party - failed to retain the Rajnandgaon Lok Sabha seat, which was his home turf and had been considered a safe bet.
The party's ideological mentor, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh -, as well as BJP leaders say the shocking defeat is a sign of the declining popularity of the party as well as the chief minister in the state.
'It's a clear sign that the BJP is on its way out in Chhattisgarh,' a senior RSS leader told IANS.
Congress candidate Devrat Singh wrested the Rajnandgaon parliamentary constituency with about 52,000 votes from the BJP that had fielded senior party leader Leelaram Bhojwani. The results for the by-poll held March 29 were declared Monday.
The election was necessitated when the Supreme Court upheld a decision of parliament to disqualify 11 MPs, including the BJP's Pradeep Gandhi from Rajnandgaon, for accepting cash to ask questions in the house.
Gandhi, a close aide of Chief Minister Raman Singh, had won the seat in the May 2004 general elections by defeating Devrat Singh, a staunch supporter of Congress veteran and former chief minister Ajit Jogi, by a margin of about 14,000 votes.
Rajnandgaon has eight assembly segments, including Kawardha where Raman Singh's ancestral house is located and Dongargaon, which he represents in the state assembly.
The BJP just about managed marginal leads over the Congress in two segments but was defeated in six others, including Dongargaon and Kawardha.
'If a chief minister is unable to help his party hold sway in his home assembly segment - and in his political workplace -, the party central leadership should reflect on where the BJP stands in the state,' the RSS leader said.
The RSS will send a report to the BJP central leadership outlining why voters have moved away from the party.
A highly placed BJP source said: 'In December, the BJP lost an assembly - by-poll convincingly and this time Raman Singh's home seat, Rajnandgaon. The chief minister has surely failed to inspire party workers and that should be summed up in the RSS report too.'
Hours after the results were announced, a visibly upset Raman Singh dismissed rumours that he would put in his papers. He blamed Pradeep Gandhi for the defeat.
'Why should I step down, it's the Pradeep factor that played a decisive role,' Singh told reporters on being asked by scribes who should be blamed for Rajnandgaon debacle.
Raman Singh had held the Rajandngaon seat until December 2003 when he was chosen to head the BJP government in the state.
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