Raipur, March 3 (IANS) Disqualified MP Pradeep Gandhi, one among the 10 MPs allegedly caught accepting cash for a price to raise questions in parliament, has sought a ticket from Chhattisgarh's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to retain his Rajnandgaon seat.
The polls for Rajnandgaon is scheduled March 29. He had won the seat on a BJP ticket in May 2004 and is considered one of the top aides of Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh.
Before being elected to the Lok Sabha, Gandhi had represented Dongargaon assembly seat but vacated it in favour of Raman Singh, who won it. Dongargaon assembly seat forms part of the Rajnandgaon Lok Sabha seat.
"Gandhi has been lobbying hard to get a BJP ticket again to enter Lok Sabha. It will be shameful if the party awards him a ticket as he was caught on camera accepting money for raising questions in the Lok Sabha," a BJP insider told IANS Saturday.
"Gandhi not only put the BJP to shame but also undermined the reputation of parliament. I'm really taken aback that he is confidently seeking a party ticket again to retain the seat," the BJP source said.
"Most of the senior BJP leaders here were surprised when Gandhi contacted them and sought their support for a party ticket. But even more surprising is that some party veterans are advocating for Gandhi. He surely will not manage a ticket but he will campaign for the BJP candidate unofficially," the source added.