NEW DELHI-Three former prime ministers are in fray for the May end midterm polls to the lower house of the Indian Parliament.
All the three besides the present Prime Minister Chandra Shekhar are expected to contest the polls from Uttar Pradesh Except for Morarji Desai all the prime ministers so far have been from Uttar Pradesh.
Rajiv Gandhi is expected to contest from Amethi while Vishwanath Pratap Singh is likely to try his luck again from Fatehpur. Chandra Shekhar may again contest from his home seat of Ballia and A.B.Vajpayee projected as BJP’s prime ministerial choice may be the party’s candidate from Balrampur.
The Congress (I) the Janata Dal the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Janata Dal (S) have all hinted at fielding their sitting members.
The Communist Party of India and the Communist Party of ‘India (Marxist) is expected to finalise their candidates by the first week of next month when a clear picture of the key contests should emerge.
Fatehpur may witness a battle royal between two brothers if Sant Bux Singh enters the fray against his brother V.P.Singh. Ram Awadesh Singh a Lok Dal member of Rajya Sabha who had firmly stood behind the former prime minister on the Mandal commission issue also hopes to try his luck Fatepur.
It could be Gandhi vs Gandhi in Amethi if Rajmohan Gandhi a grandson of the father of nation again challenges Rajiv Gandhi after losing to him in the last elections 14 months ago.
Madhu Dandavate who served as finance minister in the 11 month old National Front government is expected to return to his Rajapur constituency in Maharashtra in his attempt to enter the Lok Sabha for the fifth time. This constituency had returned Dandavate to Parliament from 1971.
Political observers feel that Chandra Shekhar V.P Singh and the BJP leader L.K.Advani are likely to contest from more than one constituency.
Chandra Shekhar contested the last polls both from Ballia and Maharajganj in Bihar. He gave up Maharajganj in favour of his home constituency.
Haryana Patriarch Devi Lalis likely to stay away from the contest and act as the guiding spirit of Janata Dal (S) of which he is the president Devi Lal’s son OM Prakash Chautala has also expressed a desire to slay away since he is now the Haryana chief minister.
Chautala replacing his protégé Hukum Singh is seen as a forerunner for assembly polls in the state.Bansi Lal of the Haryana Vikas Manch who was expelled from the Congress (I) rival Bhajan Lal to fight him in Bhiwani.
Bansi Lal who won the seat in the last elections has held Bhajan Lal responsible for his expulsion after 47 years of uninterrupted association with the Congress.
Anil Shastri son of the late prime minister Mr Lal Bahadur Shastri who was inducted into politics by Vishwanath Pratap Singh quit the Janata Dal resigned his Lok Sabha seat and joined the Congress (I) virtually on the eve of the polls.
He was indicated to the Congress-I his desire to seek reelection from Varanasi but left it to the party high command to decide.
Home minister in the Janata Dal government Muftt Mohammed Sayeed who joined Vishwanath Pratap Singh along with the former Jana Morcha leaders is likely to seek re-election from Muzaffarnagar in Uttar Pradesh.
Other Jana Morcha members Arif Mohammed Khan Arun Nehru and Satapal Malik areas yet undecided on the choice of their constituency
Nehru had shifted from Rae Bareli to Bilhaur in Uttar Pradesh after parting of ways with his cousin Rajiv Gandhi Khan was elected from Bahraich and Malik from Aligarh.
Veteran Congress (I) P V Narasimha Rao will be seeking re-election from Ramtack in Maharashtra say his political associates.
Textiles and food processing minister in the National Front government Sharad Yadav who belongs to Madhya Pradesh but contested from Badaun in U.P. last time may try to stage a comeback from there had trounced the former U.P. chief minister and senior congressman Ram Naresh Yadav last time.
Deputy industry minister Dasai Choudhary of the Janata Dai(S) may be pitted against Ram Vilas Paswan of the Janata Dal from the Hajipur-scheduled castes constituency in Bihar. Paswan established a Guiness record scoring an over five lakh vote victory in the 1989 polls.
Congress (I) spokesman MJ Akbar is expected to try his luck from Kishanganj in Bihar again. His opponent in the Muslim dominated backward are a near West Bengal could in all probability be former diplomat Syed Shahbuddin. Shahbuddin’s nomination paper from the constituency had been rejected on technical grounds during the 1989 polls.
Former industries minister Ajit Singh of the Janata Dal will be again in the field from Baghpat in Meerut district of Uttar Pradesh. Son of former prime minister and Jat leader Charan Singh he will be in the field from the heartland of the jats.
Two journalists may clash in the historic city of the Taj Agra Ajay Singh sitting member of the Janata Dal and deputy minister for railways in the V.P Singh government may be pitted against Udayan Sharma of the Congress (I).
With the Congress (I)’s alliance with the AIADMK led by Jayalalitha it is still to be seen which seats she will give to Rajiv Gandhi’s candidates Most Congress (I) members from Tamil Nadu were already in Madras preparing for the battle royal.
Article extracted from this publication >> March 29, 1991
