Shekhawat says he will contest if

Unfazed by BJP's rebuff, former vice-president Bhairon Singh Shekhawat today said he would definitely contest the upcoming Lok Sabha election if his health permitted.

Shekhawat, whose decision to contest the poll caused a flutter in the BJP virtually posing a threat to the leadership of L K Advani, said he was yet to decide the constituency and the party in the event of his entering the fray.

The former BJP veteran, who has launched a crusade against corruption, demanded a probe into allegations of corruption to the tune of Rs 22,000 crore, levelled by the Congress, against the previous Vasundhara Raje government in Rajasthan.

Octogenarian Shekhawat, who reached Jaipur in the evening after criss-crossing several villages in the state as part of his campaign against corruption, said the response of the people to his mission was wonderful. 

"I met thousands of people during my tour from Jodhpur to Jaipur. The response from them was wondeful which I have never experienced in my life," Shekhawat said.     "The one thing that appealed to me most was that youths in large number extended full support to my campaign to eradicate corruption," he said.

The former Vice-President, who toured Jodhpur, Pali and Ajmer, said people were suffering a lot due to all-pervading corruption.

"This is the beginning. I will visit and meet people first in Rajasthan and then in other states to obtain a mandate in favour of my mission," Shekhawat said.