Poster boy not in favour

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Sultanpur Member of Parliament Varun Gandhi has made no secret of his ambition to be the party's chief ministerial candidate for the Assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh due early next year. Hoardings and posters featuring him dotted the Allahabad skyline as BJP members assembled for the party's National Executive meet in the city earlier this month. But the party leadership was quick to express its displeasure towards Gandhi's aggressive campaign. Gandhi didn't attend a meeting of the party's 71 Uttar Pradesh Lok Sabha members the leadership had called. He was given the benefit of doubt as a dozen other MPs, too, couldn't attend the meeting citing various reasons. A senior BJP leader had this biting response when asked about Gandhi: "He looks smart, doesn't he? Impresses you and has a fan following among your ilk (the English media)."