Kalyan Singh likely to be BJP CM candidate in UP

Rajasthan governor Kalyan Singh may soon return to active politics and could be projected as BJP’s chief ministerial candidate in UP.

Mr Singh is on a five- day holiday in Lucknow and will be celebrating his 84th birthday here with “party workers and friends” on Tuesday.

According to sources, Mr Singh is in Lucknow to “test waters” and reconnect with party workers. Mr Singh had a long closed-door meeting with party’s organising secretary Sunil Bansal on Sunday in which the two are believed to have discussed issues related to UP politics.

Later, in an informal chat with reporters, Mr Kalyan Singh said, “It is the party that will decide my role in the future. Party choice is my choice. I have always accepted whatever role has been assigned to me by the party. At present, I am governor in Rajasthan and I am satisfied with my job.”

Highly-placed sources said that the mantle could fall on Mr Singh since the party had failed to find an OBC candidate of stature who could be projected as its chief ministerial candidate in UP. “Mr Kalyan Singh remains our best bet. People still remember the excellent law and order situation in his regimes. His style of administration remains unparalleled and he also fits into the caste equation. He remains the tallest BJP leader in UP,” a senior party functionary said.

The BJP high command has also been toying with the idea of projecting union home minister as its chief ministerial candidate but the Sangh Parivar feels that an OBC candidate would bring in OBC votes for the party.

Moreover, besides being an OBC leader, Mr Kalyan Singh also has the image of a Hindu hardliner which would in revival of the Ram temple issue.

Mr Kalyan Singh, in fact, defended UP Governor Ram Naik on the temple issue and said, “Mr Naik was right when he said that the people of this country wanted the Ram temple to be built. It would have been good if a consensus could be evolved on the issue and hurdles in the path of the temple construction are cleared”.

Another factor which is favouring Mr Kalyan Singh as chief ministerial candidate is the absence of his rivals from state politics. His contemporaries like Mr Rajnath Singh and Mr Kesri Nath Tripathi are busy with their assignments outside the state and those that remain here are no longer in a position to oppose him.

Last, but not the least, the main factor that could tilt the balance in Mr Kalyan Singh’s favour is his excellent rapport with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.