Virender Sehwag says no' to BJP offer

New Delhi: Former cricketer and opening batsman for Team India, Virender Sehwag has refused BJP’ offer to contest as its candidate for the coming Lok Sabha from the national capital. A top party functionary told this newspaper that Mr Sehwag refused the offer to contest from either West Delhi Lok Sabha constituencies.

On the other hand, the party was still carrying out talks with Mr Sehwag’s teammate Gautam Gambhir to contest parliamentary polls as BJP candidate. He said that Mr Gambhir was giving serious thought to the party’s proposal to contest the polls.

The party functionary said that the party has approached both the former openers, Mr Sehwag and Mr Gambhir, with an offer of ticket to contest Lok Sabha polls from city to be held on May 12. “Mr Sehwag has clearly expressed his unwillingness to contest the polls, while Mr Gambhir is yet to take a decision,” he added.

Lobbying for ticket has intensified for all the seven parliamentary seats. Apart from siting MP Meenakshi Lekhi, names of advocate Monika Arora, general secretaries Ravinder Gupta and Rajesh Bhatia and union minister Vijay Goel are doing the rounds for New Delhi seat. For Chandni Chowk, senior party leader and prominent face in media Sudhanshu Mittal is in consideration along with Mr Goel, Mr Gupta and Mr Bhatia other than Dr Harsh Vardhan, the sitting MP.

In North East Delhi, apart from the sitting MP and Delhi BJP president Manoj Tiwari, names of former MLA Mohan Singh Bisht and former East Delhi mayor Satya Sharma is doing the rounds.

In East Delhi, names of Poorvanchal Morcha president Manish Singh and former DUSU president Nakul Bhardwaj is doing the rounds with sitting MP Maheish Girri.