Uma Bharti eyes safe seat in Madhya Pradesh

Bhopal: Union minister Uma Bharti may be eyeing for a safe seat in Madhya Pradesh being unsure of retaining her Jhansi seat in Uttar Pradesh in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

Ms Bharti who has written a letter to BJP national president Amit Shah four days ago expressing her desire to withdraw from the forthcoming parliamentary elections citing her ill health, was said to be keen to contest from Khajuraho Lok Sabha seat in MP this time, sources close to her said.

“The LS constituency has sizeable population of Lodhi community, she belongs to”, a close aide of Ms Bharti said.

Her nephew Siddharth is a BJP MLA from Kharagpur assembly segment, a part of Khajuraho parliamentary constituency.

She had won from Khajuraho four times in the past. Besides, the sitting BJP MP from Khajuraho Nagendra Singh has recently won the assembly elections, leaving the seat vacant.

Sources said Ms Bharti was “skeptic” about her chances of retaining Jhansi seat in view of alliance between SP-BSP in Uttar Pradesh.