BJP’s Smriti Irani may take on Rahul Gandhi in Amethi, Uma Bharti likely to contest against Sonia Gandhi

NEW DELHI: BJP is actively considering doing to Congress what Congress has done to it – pit a star against the rival’s star. From Rae Bareli and Amethi, Sonia Gandhi’s and Rahul Gandhi’s constituencies, BJP is weighing the option of fielding, respectively, firebrand leader Uma Bharti and combative Smriti Irani. Though a final decision has not been taken, talks are at an advanced stage in BJP, senior party leaders who did not wish to be identified told ET.

Congress has fielded Rahul Gandhi aide Madhusudhan Mistry against Narendra Modi in Vadodara and has said it will nominate a heavyweight in Modi’s other constituency, Varanasi. Digvijaya Singh has said he’s willing to be Congress candidate in Varanasi. Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday said Congress will soon announce its Varanasi nominee.

Ex-Punjab chief minister Amrinder Singh is Congress candidate against BJP heavyweight Arun Jaitley in Amritsar.

ET has learnt the proposal to field party stars against Sonia and Rahul Gandhi was discussed at the central election committee meeting that dealt with Uttar Pradesh seats.

A senior leader said Irani’s name was proposed at the meeting by some CEC members and it was suggested that as she’s a Rajya Sabha member already, she has “nothing to lose” in the event she fails to defeat Rahul Gandhi in Amethi. Irani did not respond to ET’s queries. This leader said a BJP heavyweight for Rae Bareli was also a proposal but at that meeting Bharti’s name wasn’t proposed since she had already been allotted Jhansi.

BJP leaders said Ramdev had proposed that Bharti be pitted against Sonia but the issue with Bharti’s Rae Bareli candidature is that Bharti has asked she be allowed to retain the Jhansi nomination as well.

Bharti told ET, “Baba Ramdev had given this proposal… I will do what the party asks me to do-…meanwhile I have started campaigning in Jhansi.” Another BJP leader said the party isn’t keen that Bharti fights from two seats and that “talks are on to persuade her to contest from Rae Bareli only”.