Bhairon Singh Shekhawat enters the race

By M Rama Rao
New Delhi, June 25, 2007(NH): Despite the odds staring at him, Vice President and Veteran BJP leader Bhairon Singh Shekhawat entered the race for Raisina Hills as an Independent on Monday in what is seen as a direct fight between two Shekhawats since the Third Front balloon has burst even before it launch.

BJP managers frankly admit that the numbers are not in their favour. And hence they issued a call for conscience vote to all MPs and MLAs and their campaign is on a virulently anti-Congress platform. “We have deliberately opted for June 25 to file the nomination”, they said recalling that the internal emergency was clamped on this day 32 years back.

Bhairon Baba as the former Rajasthan chief minister is addressed by his admirers and supporters, filed his nomination papers before Mr P D T Acharya, the Returning Officer for the election at the Parliament Building. The NDA full house minus the Shiv Sena was present to express solidarity with him.

Sushma Swaraj, the NDA spokesperson, assisted Mr Shekhawat in filling up the nomination form, in her capacity as his campaign manager and spokesperson. The Vice President, who need not resign now under the Constitution, handed over two sets of nomination papers with 266 signatures to Mr. Acharya, who is also the Lok Sabha Secretary-General.

Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, NDA convenor George Fernandes, senior Janata Dal (U) chief Sharad Yadav, Akali Dal chief Prakash Singh Badal and Biju Janata Dal chief Naveen Patnaik, Panthers Party chief Bhim Singh and Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar were present along with BJP leaders L K Advani, Rajnath Singh, M Venkaiah Naidu, Murali Manohar Joshi and a host of others.

Chief Ministers of BJP-ruled Gujarat, Chattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan – Narendra Modi, Raman Singh, Shivraj Singh Chauhan and Vasundhara Raje, who are in town to attend the BJP national executive meeting also, were on hand.

Mr. Shekhawat diligently went over every single signature before presenting his papers to the returning officer apparently to satisfy himself that there would be no hiccups later on.

BJP managers are still unclear as to the way the United National Progressive Alliance, UNPA, as the Third Front styles itself, would vote –whether it will put up a candidate or whether it will offer at least second preference votes to Shekhawat.

Jayalalithaa – Mulayam – Chautala- Chandrababu Naidu, who have popped up the eight party alliance, as a part of their politics of survival and search for political space, have returned to their base camps with no clear cut plan of action. While Jayalalithaa is preoccupied with a by-election, Naidu is on his way to the United States even as his state is reeling under the fury of floods.

The Front has drawn a blank in their campaign to corner the Congress with their Kalam card. And in the process exposed the missile scientist to some unpleasant digs. Kalam, who looked for a ‘certainty’ on his election, hurriedly withdrew from the front line saying “enough is enough”.