Uchana Kalan, September 14
Breaking his silence over the future of his loyalists who joined the BJP along with him, Chaudhary Birender Singh today said he had requested the party leadership to consider the names of his supporters for 30 seats.

“It’s true that I have requested BJP leadership to consider the names of 30 of my supporters for tickets. But it was not a pre-condition to join the BJP, as is being projected by media. I have simply asked the leadership to give ticket to my supporters who have high winnability,” he said in Uchana Kalan before leaving for Aleva where his wife, Prem Lata Singh, today started her campaign.

About the ticket to his wife from Uchana Kalan from where he won five times and his supporters were expecting him to fight, Birender said he had not asked the party to consider his wife’s candidature. “The BJP took the decision to field my wife. I was willing to fight from Uchana Kalan, but since the BJP wants to utilise my services in the state, they gave the ticket to my wife. Had I been given ticket from here, I would not have been able to campaign in the state properly,” said Birender.

When asked whether or not he would contest the election, he said he was open to fight from another seat and the party was considering his name. He, however, did not name any constituency.

“I have an experience of four decades in politics. If the BJP gives me a state-level position, I strongly believe I could take the party along,” said Birender, when asked about whether or not he was in the race for chief ministership, but neither confirmed nor denied it. Birender’s wife Prem Lata Singh on Sunday started her campaign from Uchana Kalan with workers’ meetings in Aleva, Uchana Kalan and other parts of the constituency.