Former Union minister and Rashtriya Jantantrik Dal leader V.C. Shukla is clutching at straws for a pre-poll alliance. With opposition to his alliance proposal with the NDA growing within the state BJP unit, Shukla is now making a desperate bid to woo Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh and local BJP chief Nand Kumar Sai for support. In the last three days, Shukla has held two rounds of talks with Raman Singh and Sai, but he has not got any clear indications of their support. His biggest opponent — Union Minister for Environment and Forest Ramesh Bais — has already made it clear that there is no scope for an alliance with Shukla. ‘‘I have conveyed my views to the top party leaders. Now, it’s up to them to decide whether we have to go with Shukla or not,’’ he says. Also sticking to his guns is Nand Kumar Sai, who met Shukla yesterday. ‘‘There is no change in my stand,’’ he said. Sources say Shukla had asked for three Lok Sabha seats during his meeting with PM A.B. Vajpayee in New Delhi shortly after quitting from the NCP. He is confident that Vajpayee’s word would be final for the state party unit. Yesterday, Shukla reached Bhopal to attend the wedding of his grand-nephew Kunal Shukla with the daughter of PM Vajpayee’s niece on February 16. Vajpayee is also scheduled to attend the ceremony. In Raipur, BJP leaders claim that since Shukla was eyeing the Rajnandgaon Lok Sabha seat — represented by CM Raman Singh — it would be impossible to hand over the seat to Shukla. Also, thanks to his frequent shifting of places and parties, Shukla’s base has already eroded and the parties will find it difficult to make him win. In the case of his next seat of preference, Mahasaund, where his own brother S.C. Shukla is a sitting member, the party might have to overlook the claims of BJP national vice-president and PM Vajpayee’s niece Karuna Shukla. BJP insiders claim that even Dilip Singh Judeo — former minister for environment and forests — whose Rajya Sabha term ends this year, is lobbying for a ticket, even though chances of his getting one are bleak as he is facing a CBI probe. The only seat which the BJP could offer to Shukla, if the central leadership decides on an alliance with him, is Janjgir Champa. Here too, Judeo’s nephew — Ranvijay Pratap Judeo — is a contender as he had declined to contest the Assembly polls from Raigarh.
