PATNA: In a move that took political circles completely by surprise, octogenarian BJP leader L K Advani on Tuesday endorsed the candidature of BJP veteran and former Union Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha as the party’s Chief Ministerial candidate for the forthcoming Jharkhand Assembly elections.
Throwing his weight behind Sinha, Advani said the IAS officer-turned-politico was the ‘right person’ for the CM post.
Moreover, he suggested that Sinha, who is currently in jail over the alleged violence against a Jharkhand State Electricity Board(JSEB)official, should try to secure bail to lead the ‘historic agitation’ against the power crisis in the state.
“What I feel is that when he is getting support and respect from all the BJP stalwarts, Sinha ought to respect the feelings of the BJP leaders, not only from Jharkhand, but also across the country and come out of jail,” Advani, who was accompanied by former Jharkhand CM Arjun Munda and state BJP chief Ravindra Rai, said after visiting Sinha at the Hazaribagh Central Jail.
The septuagenarian, who represented Hazaribagh in the LS before making way to his son in the recent general elections,had led a demonstration against power cut in the constituency, when the alleged incident happened.
He has been accused of assaulting the government official and obstructing him from discharging his duty. Even though Sinha was granted bail by the court twice, he refused to furnish the bail amount as a mark of protest.
Widely regarded as an Advani loyalist, Sinha had been largely sidelined during the BJP LS campaign spearheaded by Modi.
The BJP sources, meanwhile, have given an indication that Sinha’s name has been doing the rounds as a prospective candidate for Governorship.