NAGPUR, Dec 18: The sitting Bharatiya Janata Party Lok Sabha member from Nagpur, Banwarilal Purohit, may have to wage a hard battle to get himself renominated for the seat in the coming mid-term elections as his detractors in the party are making a determined effort to dislodge him as a candidate.Purohit, fell out of favour with the State Bharatiya Janata Party leadership when he openly accused party general secretary Pramod Mahajan of promoting vested interests in the Ispat group's Bhadravati project issue.

Purohit went a step further by moving the Nagpur Bench of Bombay High Court against the Ispat project deal approved by the Shiv Sena-BJP coalition government.

With the High Court admitting his public interest litigation (PIL) in the Ispat case a couple of days back, Purohit's image as a `anti-corruption' crusader has received a boost on the eve of the elections.

Mahajan, had tried his best to cut Purohit to size following a wordy-dual between the two over the Ispat deal. He even succeeded in getting a resolution adopted by the state unit of the party against Purohit as he had allegedly taken stand against his own Government. However, BJP leader Atal Bihari Vajpayee stepped in and thwarted Mahajan's design by preventing any disciplinary action against Purohit.

Mahajan and his close confidantes Deputy Chief Minister Gopinath Munde and State PWD and Guardian Minister for Nagpur Nitin Gadkari -- are still determined to try and get Purohit out of the party's list of Lok Sabha candidates, no matter how difficult the task may be.

Purohit, who runs The Hitavada - an English daily from the second capital, has been involved in Nagpur's public life for the last two decades which includes his two earlier stints as MP while he was in the Congress. The local BJP is simply short of a candidate who is capable of matching Purohit's credentials. Also, the party may find it publicly embarrassing to remove Purohit as a candidate at a time when he is fighting with a multi-national on a `corruption' issue.

This is manifest in the remarks by a senior party leader when he admitted, ``Purohit has become a source of headache for us. But dropping him on the eve of election could send wrong signals. Mazboori ka naam Mahatma Gandhi and hence the party has to give him a ticket''. Interestingly, in the rival Congress camp there is a dearth of a strong candidate who can put up a fight against the BJP, particularly Purohit in Nagpur. Even Datta Meghe, a senior state Congress leader, who had once defeated Purohit now considers Nagpur to be an unsafe battle ground.

Meghe is keen to shift from his present constituency -- Ramtek. But he is unwilling to shift to Nagpur in case Purohit is the BJP nominee. While a senior BJP regional leader, close to Mahajan-Munde camp was certain that Purohit will not be given a party ticket, an unruffled Purohit, who could see the design of his detractors, remains confident about his renomination.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.