NEW DELHI: The BJP is strongly considering fielding Sanjay Singh against Rahul Gandhi in Amethi. If Singh is nominated by BJP, the Congress vice-president will face an opponent who’s a flamboyant, wealthy and controversial local leader, who used to be a close friend of Gandhi’s father, Rajiv Gandhi , and who’s also currently a Congress MP.A very senior BJP leader confirmed to ET that Singh, currently Congress MP from Sultanpur and often called the ‘rajah’ of Amethi, is being strongly considered as the BJP’s challenger against Gandhi. The leader said the party’s talks with Singh are progressing well. ET has learnt that BJP is considering making its offer to Singh more attractive by promising him a Rajya Sabha ticket should he lose to Gandhi in Amethi. A senior Congress leader said his party is “aware of deliberations between Singh and BJP”. He said Singh is disenchanted with the party since “he’s not being given, from his point of view, a major role in UP”.Singh, when contacted by ET, declined to comment. BJP president Rajnath Singh said “no decision has been taken on the matter as yet”.BJP strategists said pitching Singh against Gandhi is part of the party’s plan to go after Congress strongholds in UP. The Congress had surprised everyone in 2009 by winning 22 seats in UP in 2009. The BJP had won a dismal 10.Dramatically improving its UP fortunes is a key part of BJP’s 2014 plans. If Singh, who’s been seen sharing platforms with BJP leaders in the Amethi area, does contest on a BJP ticket, this will be his third stint as a BJP candidate. In 1998 LS polls, he had defeated Nehru-Gandhi loyalist Satish Sharma from Amethi. In 1999, Sonia Gandhi had defeated Singh from Raebareli.Singh’s political allegiances have switched as dramatically as his family’s relationship with Nehru-Gandhis. Singh’s father, Rananjay Singh, is credited with having introduced Nehru-Gandhis to the Amethi constituency. But Singh fell out with Congress’s first family after he joined VP Singh in 1988. He left the Congress fold again 10 years later, winning a seat for the BJP-led by AB Vajpayee. Next year, again under a Vajpayee-led BJP, he fought and lost against Sonia Gandhi in Raebareli. In 2009, Singh, who had rejoined Congress in 2003, won from Sutanpur, one of the 22 Congress MPs who won from UP, a victory credited to Rahul by both Congress and neutral political analysts.Should Singh switch to the Modi-led BJP in 2014, it will be his biggest challenge to Congress. BJP strategists said although Gandhi’s 3-lakh victory margin in 2009 was impressive, the fact that there was no strong candidate against him should not be overlooked.They also claimed Singh is locally popular and 2012’s UP assembly polls saw Congress losing in all of Amethi’s assembly seats. Many opinion polls have shown BJP to be ahead of Congress in seat projections for 2014. But a big UP victory for BJP hasn’t shown up in any survey. BJP strategists said targeting star Congress constituencies is a part of the party’s “UP battle plan”.