Winnability of candidates important, character secondary in BJP: Nitin Gadkari

In a candid admission on Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) internal politics, Union Minister of Highways and Transport Nitin Gadkari revealed on Tuesday that the “winnability” of the candidate takes precedence over their track record and “character” at the time of awarding tickets for polls.

“When we talk about governance, the character and the track record of the candidate take a backseat at the time of awarding the ticket. The primary consideration is if the candidate could win. This is what the party leadership tells us when they distribute tickets,” Gadkari told a select gathering comprising party leaders and workers of Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) during his address at a book launch function in New Delhi.

One of BJP’s key leaders and former party head, Gadkari added that the party leadership often complains to him when the track record of such candidates is flayed in public after they have been awarded tickets.

“I tell them, As you sow, sow shall you reap,” the union minister went on.

Gadkari said, “In a nutshell, everything in the party is secondary, they want people to win.”

The leader from Maharashtra further noted that the “quality” of candidates and governance would improve when the voters became more aware in socio-economic terms.

“In a democracy, it is the public that has to take a call. They must decide what type of candidate to send to the elected houses. When their socio-economic status increases, it would automatically result in a qualitative government,” said Gadkari.

The BJP’s association with candidates having criminal backgrounds has come under increased public scrutiny of late. An analysis by poll watchdog Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) in the lead-up to Karnataka state polls found that the BJP led the parties in awarding tickets to such candidates. Eight-three, or 37%, of BJP’s 224 candidates had a criminal background.

The senior BJP leader, who was launching a book authored by the late MLA from Bundelkhand, Ramanath Khaira, opined during his address that a leader hailing from a particular caste or region may not think objectively about the community’s or region’s welfare. The Hindi book, Jeevan Mrityu Kalachakra, is being published by the late MLA’s son and BJP leader from the Bundelkhand region, Dr Vijay Khaira.

“Vijayji is particularly concerned about Bundelkhand,” said Gadkari.

The union minister went on, “I am given to understand that a person from the region can’t think objectively about that region’s development. Similarly, the person from the same caste can’t think objectively about its development.”

Elaborating on his observation, Gadkari drew on his own experience as minister in the Maharashtra government, stating that though he was from the Vidarbha region, some of the major infrastructure projects in Mumbai were executed during his tenure.

“It was under my watch that we built the Mumbai-Pune Expressway, Bandra-Worli Sea link and around 55 flyovers. The local leaders from Mumbai and Pune couldn’t accomplish what I did during my tenure,” remarked Gadkari.