Malhotra wants to fight from GK, in for tough competition

Veteran BJP leader and the party’s chief minister candidate Vijay Kumar Malhotra but also from BSP, a relatively new entrant to the Capital’s political horizon.

Veteran BJP leader and the party’s chief minister candidate Vijay Kumar Malhotra, who has expressed his keenness to contest from the Greater Kailash (GK) assembly seat faces a tough competition from not only the Congress, but also from Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), a relatively new entrant to the Capital’s political horizon.

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On Tuesday, Malhotra said that though the party’s central committee will take the final decision about his candidature, he is interested to contest from the GK seat. “I am not too keen to contest from Rohini. But I will abide by whatever the party high command decides,” he said.

While the BSP has already named Rajendra Gupta, a former BJP man to contest from the GK seat, the Congress is also planning to have a party heavyweight contest from the seat.

While party insiders in both the Congress and BJP said that BSP might not be able to wrest the seat, but they admit that it would create a dent by cutting into votes. “Gupta is a former BJP man, who was also a transport minister in the government when the party came to power in 1993. Because of this Gupta knows the party’s strength and weakness and can exploit it to his advantage,” said a political analyst, on conditions of anonymity.

On his part BSP candidate Rajendra Gupta said, “Unlike Malhotra I am a resident of this area and have worked with the people here. They know me well and I stand a strong chance of winning from this seat.”

Former Delhi mayor Jaishree Panwar is one of the many Congress candidates seeking ticket from the GK seat.