Vajpayee, Modi figure in BJP list of campaigners in UP

Ailing former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi figure, who was kept away from electioneering in Bihar due to JD(U)'s objections, figure in BJP's list of campaigners in Uttar Pradesh assembly poll.

Vajpayee's name figures on top of the list of campaigners for Uttar Pradesh that the party is sending to the Election Commission for mandatory approval.

Though the BJP stalwart, who has stayed away from active politics since 2006 due to his ill-health, will not campaign and his name has been put only for effect, the party plans to liberally use CDs of his recorded speeches, collection of poems and other literature in the campaign.

Vajpayee, who was an MP from Lucknow, still has a sizable following in the politically crucial state.

The list also sets at rest speculation about Modi's participation in the UP election campaign. There were reports that he may keep away as his bete noire and former General Secretary (Organisation) of BJP Sanjay Joshi is one of the party's main election in-charge in UP.

Modi had stayed away from the last BJP National Executive as he was sulking over party President Nitin Gadkari's decision to bring back Joshi into the party. Joshi had to leave BJP earlier when a controversial CD had surfaced.

Since JD(U) is not contesting in alliance with BJP in UP, there is no issue of any objection to Modi's name as had happened in Bihar where Nitish Kumar had put his foot down over his participation in the campaign, fearing this would scare away his Muslim voters.

BJP leaders L K Advani, Sushma Swaraj, Arun Jaitley and Murli Manohar Joshi are among the 42 prominent leaders mentioned in the list of campaigners for UP. However, they are likely to keep away from those constituencies where tainted candidates like Shakshi Maharaj, Chhatrapal Singh, Bhadshah Singh and Daddan Mishra have been fielded.

These central leaders had objected to the induction of tainted former Minister in Mayawati government Babu Singh Kushwaha.

BJP President Nitin Gadkari and his predecessor Rajnath Singh also figure in the list.

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Chhattisgarh CM Raman Singh and his Jharkhand counterpart Arjun Munda will also campaign in UP, along with Bihar Deputy CM Sushil Modi.

The BJP list also contains the names of former Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, General Secretaries Ananth Kumar, Ravi Shankar Prasad and Narendra Singh Tomar, Deputy Leader of BJP in Lok Sabha Gopinath Munde and his Rajya Sabha counterpart S S Ahluwalia.

Two prominent Muslim faces of the BJP--Shahnawaz Hussain and Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi-- will also campaign in UP.

Shatrughan Sinha, Hema Malini, Smriti Irani and Navjyot Singh Sidhu will provide the glamour quotient.

Other BJP leaders who will hit the campaign trail include Kalraj Mishra, Vinay Katiyar, Ramlal, Yashwant Sinha, Uma Bharti, Varun Gandhi, Ramapati Ram Tripathi, Kesarinath Tripathi, Ramnath Kovind, Saudan Singh and Radha Mohan Singh.

Every party has to send a list to the Election Commission of those leaders who will campaign for it and the expenditure will be borne by the party and not added to the account of the candidate.