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'Humiliated' Kailash Joshi to continue doing his duty

Former Madhya Pradesh chief minister and senior Bharatiya Janata Party politician Kailash Joshi said he felt humiliated by the party high command's decision to deny him the ticket from Bhopal, but would continue with party work.

"The denial of the party ticket would not have been a matter of much concern to me if my name hadn't been proposed by the state selection committee and subsequently confirmed by the central election committee," Joshi said. He said he himself hadn't asked for a ticket, but that it had been the party's decision.

Asked what would have made the party high command change its decision and make Uma Bharati contest from Bhopal instead of Khajuraho, he said only the high command could answer that.

Joshi said he would abide by the party's decision and get busy in the election campaign.

About the possibility of his getting the ticket from Rajgarh, he said he would not contest the election this time.

"There is slim chance of my being fielded for some other seat by the party high command," he said.

Joshi lost the last Lok Sabha election to Laxman Singh, brother of Chief Minister Digvijay Singh, in Rajgarh constituency.

He also denied that his family resented the denial of a nomination. "My family members did not threaten to campaign for the Congress," he clarified.

A few days ago, Joshi's supporters had announced that the party had decided in his favour and a wave of celebration swept through his camp.

But yesterday the party announced that Union Minister of State for Human Resources Development Uma Bharati would contest from Bhopal instead of Khajuraho. No reason was given for the change.

Uma Bharati had won the Khajuraho seat four times since 1989, but had recently announced that she would not contest from there this time because the 'bumpy' roads aggravate her spondylitis.

Senior BJP politician Sushil Chandra Verma contested the Bhopal seat for the party thrice since 1991. He hasn't entered the fray this time.

UNI

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