BJP veteran Jaswant Singh breaks down during an interview in Jodhpur on Saturday
Upset over not being allowed to contest upcoming Lok Sabha polls from his home constituency,
Jaswant Singh may quit the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), sources have told NDTV. Though efforts are on to placate the senior leader, he could contest the elections as an independent candidate, sources added.
Mr Singh's son Manvendra, who is a sitting MLA from Sheo in Rajasthan, has asked for a month's leave from the party citing medical reasons.
Mr Singh, 76, wanted to contest what is likely to be his last election, from Barmer, the constituency in Rajasthan where he was born. But the BJP ignored his request and instead decided to field Colonel (Retd) Sona Ram Choudhary, a former Congressman who recently joined the party.
Speaking to NDTV from Jodhpur yesterday, an emotional Mr Singh expressed disappointment over the party's decision and said, "My honour cannot be subject to trading." He broke down while speaking and added that "there has been an encroachment on the principles and ideologies of the BJP."
(Watch video)When asked if he would resign and contest as an independent, Mr Singh said he would decide on it only after reaching Barmer, but didn't rule it out either. He is expected to reach Barmer today.
While BJP leaders Rajnath Singh and Arun Jaitley sought to play down the controversy yesterday, party leader Sushma Swaraj said she was hurt by the decision. "I understand that it is not an ordinary decision and there must have been a strong reason for it. But personally, I am hurt by this decision, reason be whatsoever," she said.
The BJP picked Col Choudhary for Barmer after much persuasion by Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje who argued that as a Jat, he could help the party in the constituency where Jats are the dominant community. Mr Singh is a Thakur.
Jaswant Singh has never contested from Barmer. He won Lok Sabha elections from Chittorgarh in Rajasthan in 1991 and 1996, and from Darjeeling in West Bengal in 2009.
If he decides to contest as an independent, he could upset the BJP's calculations as there are at least 1.5 lakh Rajput voters in the constituency.