BJP denies Lok Sabha ticket to Varun Gandhi
Varun Gandhi (Image credit X @varungandhi80)
Varun Gandhi may contest as Independent from Pilibhit
By Manish Anand
New Delhi, March 24: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has denied nomination to Varun Gandhi in the Lok Sabha elections. The BJP has fielded Uttar Pradesh minister Jitin Prasada from the Pilibhit parliamentary constituency.
Varun Gandhi has been representing the Pilibhit parliamentary constituency since 2004. The BJP has denied Varun Gandhi a ticket amid buzz that he may contest the Lok Sabha elections as an independent candidate. A section of the media had reported that he had procured four sets of nomination papers through his aides.
The BJP has, however, fielded his mother, Maneka Gandhi, from the Sultanpur parliamentary constituency. The BJP has sought to convey the message that the party is giving tickets to just one member in a family. But Varun Gandhi is likely to be disappointed with the decision of the BJP.
The BJP has pushed Varun Gandhi to the sidelines of the party for the past few years. He was least heard in the Lok Sabha. The BJP rarely gave him opportunities to speak from the quota of the party during discussions. He was also without any organisational responsibility. In contrast, Varun Gandhi was the BJP national general secretary during 2013-14.
By denying party ticket to Varun Gandhi from Pilipbhit, the BJP has given a message that the party has taken note of the contrarian positions taken by the Pilibhit MP on some of the contentious issues. Varun Gandhi was vocal against the BJP MP Ajay Mishra Teni from Lakhimpur Kheri in Uttar Pradesh. Teni’s son had allegedly run over his SUV over a group of agitating farmers.
Political observers in UP, however, state that the BJP may find it tough to win the Pilibhit parliamentary seat. They stress that Varun Gandhi has nursed the constituency quite well since becoming an MP in 2004. Besides, the constituency has a sizable Sikh electoral base. They are likely to back Varun Gandhi if he contests the elections as an independent.
However, the BJP has sought to keep a check by giving nomination to his mother, Maneka Gandhi. This is aimed to stop him from becoming a rebel, said a BJP leader. But Varun Gandhi may not abandon his electoral politics for the sake of his mother, added the party leader.
Jitin Prasada’s name had been doing rounds for a while as a possible candidate of the BJP from Pilibhit parliamentary seat. The terai area of UP is widely known as the bastion of Maneka Gandhi. She had vacated the seat for her son.
About The Author
