The Contender

BJP chief Rajnath Singh has formally announced that party vice-president Kalyan Singh is their candidate for the CM’s post. Kalyan, who till recently was reluctant to lead the party’s nyay yatra, was so moved he himself kicked off the yatra’s second phase from Dadri on January 30. Leaving nothing to chance, Rajnath has also handed over the charge of party strategy in the state assembly elections to Kalyan. He declared from the podium that no other leader could bring the party back to power in Uttar Pradesh. A visibly pleased and upbeat Kalyan had this to say: "If we come back to power, I will ensure that the state is crime-free in 90 days. Criminals will either have to leave the state or will be behind bars." Very clearly, the BJP’s only true-value mass leader in UP is back in the game.