New Delhi: One serving chief minister aspiring to be the next prime minister, more than 20 former chief ministers and a former prime minister are trying their luck in the current Lok Sabha elections. It is making the elections all the more interesting. As many as 6 former chief ministers are contesting from Karnataka alone, making it the state which has fielded the maximum number of former chief ministers.
BJP's PM nominee Narendra Modi is the only sitting chief minister who is contesting in the Lok Sabha elections. He is facing former chief minister of Delhi Arvind Kejriwal in Varanasi and Congress Madhusudhan Mistry in Vadodara. The battle for Varanasi is one of the most keenly watched polls all over India.
Most of these former chief ministers have already ended their innings in their respective states. For some of them, Parliament is a retirement home with some fringe benefits. For the others, it may provide some other role at the national level.
Karnataka tops the list with 6 former chief ministers in the fray. Four of them won 2009 Lok Sabha polls. HD Deve Gowda, the only former Prime Minister contesting in the Lok Sabha elections was Karnataka chief minister before he became the PM. He is fighting his 15th direct election in 52 years of political career. Gowda is contesting from his bastion Hassan.
His son HD Kumaraswamy was also chief minister of Karnataka. He is contesting from Chikballapur against Union Petroleum minister M Veerappa Moily. Both Gowda and his son are contesting on the JDS ticket.
Former chief minister BS Yeddyurappa is contesting from Shimoga. He is contesting in a Lok Sabha election after 24 years. DV Sadananda Gowda, who succeeded Yeddyurappa as chief minister is also contesting. He is trying his luck from Bangalore North.
While former chief minister Veerappa Moily is contesting from Chikballapur on Congress ticker, another former CM and sitting MP N Dharam Singh is seeking re-election from Bidar.
In neighbouring Goa, former chief minister Churchill Alemao is contesting on TMC ticket from South Goa. Former AP CM N Chandrababu Naidu is likely to contest in both assembly and Lok Sabha elections this time.
Former Maharashtra CM and Adarsh scam 'tainted' Ashok Chavan is contesting from his bastion Nanded. The Congress's decision to field him from Nanded has surprised many.
Former Odisha CM Giridhar Gomango is once again contesting on the Congress ticket. He is facing his own wife Hema Gomango. Former CM of Gujarat Shankar Sinh Vaghela is trying his luck on the Congress ticket from Sabarkantha in north Gujarat. He lost 2009 LS polls by just 5000 votes.
At least 4 former chief ministers are contesting from Uttar Pradesh. Former Madhya Pradesh CM Uma Bharti is contesting from Jhansi on BJP ticket. BJP President and former UP CM Rajnath Singh is contesting from Lucknow. SP chief and former CM Mulayam Singh Yadav is contesting from two Lok Sabha seats - Mainpuri and Azamgarh. Former Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal and Gujarat CM Narendra Modi are facing each other in Varanasi.
In Bihar, former CM Rabri Devi is contesting from Saran. Her own brother Sadhu Yadav is contesting against her. JDU has put up another former CM Ram Sundar Das from Hajipur. Das is over 90 years old and he must be one of the oldest candidates contesting Lok Sabha elections.
In Punjab, former CM Amarinder Singh is taking on BJP's Arun Jaitley in Amritsar.
Former J&K CM Dr Farooq Abdullah is seeking re-election from Srinagar on the National Conference ticket. Another former CM Gulan Nabi Azad is also seeking a re-election from Udhampur-Doda LS seat on the Congress ticket.
The tiny Himalayan state of Uttarakhand, which has just 5 Lok Sabha seats has 3 former CM's in the fray. Interestingly, all three Major General BC Khanduri, Bhagat Singh Koshiari and Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank are contesting on the BJP ticket.
Former Jharkhand CM Babulal Marandi is also contesting once again and giving him company in the state is another former CM Shibu Soren from Dumka.
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