New Delhi
Putting to rest speculation, the BJP today fielded controversial Hindutva leader Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur from the Bhopal Lok Sabha seat in Madhya Pradesh against an equally controversial Congress leader Digvijay Singh within hours of her joining the party.

The decision to field Pragya, an accused in the 2008 Malegaon blast case, has already drawn criticism. Belonging to Bhind district, she is known for making provocative statements and has long been associated with the Sangh, the BJP’s ideological fountainhead.

Pragya replaces sitting Bhopal MP Alok Sanjar, who said he would ensure her victory. “No allegation was proved against her. A woman was harassed. Now it is the time for revenge,” he said.

Singh may have been trying to woo Hindu voters in the constituency that has been sending a saffron leader to Parliament since 1989, but the BJP believes Pragya’s presence will not just influence Bhopal but also adjoining areas in its favour.Earlier, there was speculation that the BJP might field Union Minister Uma Bharti, who too has voluntary opted out of the 2019 electoral fray. As someone who had defeated Singh from the constituency, Bharti she had kalready “done her part in removing him from power and now the people would defeat him”.

About 4.5 lakh of the 18 lakh voters of the city are Muslims. Pragya said she was waging a “dharmayudh” against Singh.In the past decade, Pragya and Lt Col Prasad Shrikant Purohit have been portrayed as the “saffron terror” face by the Congress-led UPA government for their alleged role in the Malegaon blasts.

Six persons were killed and 100 injured when an explosive device went off near a mosque in Malegaon on September 29, 2008. The blast was allegedly carried by right-wing outfit Abhinav Bharat.

Pragya was given a clean chit by the National Investigation Agency , but the trial court refused to discharge her from the case. The court dropped the charges under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act against her and she is now being tried under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act.