BJP May Field Uma Bharti, Smriti Irani Against Sonia And Rahul

NEW DELHI: Bharatiya Janata Party is considering a suggestion to field former Madhya Pradesh CM Uma Bharti and TV actor and Rajya Sabha MP Smriti Irani against Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi in Rae Bareli and Amethi respectively.

Party sources said a decision could be expected on Friday itself as BJP considers where to turn up the heat on the Congress's prestigious seats.

Senior BJP leader M Venkaiah Naidu confirmed the party had received suggestions and was considering them. Uma Bharti was earlier given a ticket for Jhansi.

The suggestion that Bharti should take on Sonia in Rae Bareli was made by yoga guru Baba Ramdev, and has found traction among those who feel the sanyasin's entry in the fray will help pin Sonia down in her constituency.

This school of thought has been encouraged by the assessment that the anti-Congress mood may have rendered even Sonia and Rahul vulnerable: an estimate strengthened by Congress's desperate wooing of erstwhile Amethi royal Sanjay Singh and his wife Amita.

According to BJP sources, Sanjay was ready to cross over before Congress lured him back by offering a RS seat from Assam

This was followed by his wife being given the Congress ticket for the neighbouring Sultanpur seat.

However BJP sources also indicated that only one of the two — either Bharti or Irani — could take the field against the Gandhis.

"There is no point in fielding two women in adjoining constituencies," said a party source.

Moreover, there are also signs to suggest that Bharti may not like to give up her ticket for Jhansi. The constituency bordering MP is considered to be safer.

However, the party does not seem inclined to give her two seats in the same state.