NAGPUR, Feb 3: Banwarilal Purohit, formerly with the Bharatiya Janata Party, on Tuesday backed out of his decision to contest as an Independent candidate from Nagpur Lok Sabha constituency.Stating this at a news conference here, Purohit, who resigned from the BJP, said he would campaign for the defeat of the candidates of the Shiv Sena-BJP alliance. ``I will tour entire Maharashtra and expose corruption and other misdeeds of the alliance government,'' he remarked. Purohit, who owns the English daily The Hitavada, had earlier announced that he would rebel against the party's ``injustice' and contest as an Independent.
To a question, he said that in Vidarbha he would campaign for only such candidates who supported the demand for statehood for the region.
Asked whether he would campaign for the Congress, he avoided a direct reply but said he would unfold his ``future'' plan after three days. Purohit alleged that he was penalised by the BJP high command for exposing corrupt deals of some of itsleaders. He claimed that the supporters of the Sena-BJP were extorting money from traders in the name of collecting election fund . ``This culture was unknown to Nagpur,'' he remarked. Regarding Public Works and Nagpur Guardian Minister Nitin Gadkari's challenge to him to contest from Nagpur, he said he would not like to waste his energy by confinding himself to one constituency. But he claimed that the defeat of BJP nominee Ramesh Mantri from Nagpur was a foregone conclusion.
Meanwhile, former Union minister Vilas Muttemwar and Chitralekha Bhosale, both Congress, Namdeo Diwate and Vijay Munde, both BJP, were among the 20 candidates who filed their nomination papers in six Lok Sabha constituencies in Nagpur division.
While Muttemwar filed his nomination for Nagpur seat, Bhosale is a nominee for Ramtek constituency. Diwate is seeking re-election from Chimur and Munde from Wardha constituency.
Upendra Shende, former RPI (K) MLA, filed his nomination for Nagpur seat.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
