Indore, Mar 17(PTI): A senior BJP leader on Sunday said he would think of contesting as an Independent candidate if Lok Sabha Speaker and Indore MP Sumitra Mahajan was re-nominated from the seat in the April-May general elections.

Senior BJP leader Satyanarayan (79), also known as Sattan, claimed Mahajan had not been in touch with party workers in Indore and they were upset over this.

Eight-time MP Mahajan, affectionately called 'tai' (sister) in the city, has retained the seat since 1989 when she defeated former chief minister and senior Congressman Prakash Chandra Sethi in a giant-killing act by over 1.11 lakh votes.

"If the party gives a ticket to Mahajan for the ninth time, I will be forced to think of contesting against her as an Independent candidate. Majority of the party workers are unhappy with her as she has not been in touch with them," Satyanarayan said.

"Though she has been MP eight consecutive times, she has not done any work for which she can be remembered in Indore," he claimed.

He said the BJP would be better off choosing general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya, local MLAs Ramesh Mendola, Usha Thakur or city mayor Malini Gaud as its nominee for Indore.

"Sattan was one of our big leaders since the Jan Sangh days. I feel we will be able to placate him and he would support the candidate chosen by the party," state BJP spokesperson Umesh Sharma said.