New Delhi: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders Arun Jaitley, Pramod Mahajan, Sushma Swaraj and Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi will not be contesting the coming Lok Sabha elections.

Announcing this after a meeting of the party's Central Election Committee today (March 23, 2004), party's spokesman Naqvi said these leaders would be campaigning for the party.

Law Minister Arun Jaitley's name was proposed by Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Uma Bharti for Bhopal, while party general secretary Pramod Mahajan's name was sounded for Jaipur by Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje Scindia.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj's name was proposed for Kanpur but it was felt that her services should be utilised for the poll campaign.

Naqvi, whose name was doing the rounds for Rampur in Uttar Pradesh, is also out of the fray and he has been replaced by Rajinder Gupta.

Scindia's son Dushyant Singh has been nominated for Jhalawar Lok Sabha seat which was represented by his mother before she became Chief Minister.

The Committee rejected the candidature of former party president Bangaru Laxman who was caught on camera accepting money in the Tehelka expose.

Anwar-ul-Haq, who recently joined the party, has been nominated for the Sheohar Lok Sabha seat from Bihar, State BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi said.