The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday announced the candidature of Karan Bhushan Singh, son of six-term MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, from the Kaiserganj Lok Sabha seat. The party announced U.P. Minister Dinesh Pratap Singh as its candidate from Rae Bareli.
In Kaiserganj, the ruling party denied the ticket to Mr. Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, who is accused of sexually harassing women wrestlers, but the ticket has been given to his son, a decision taken after consulting the six-term Lok Sabha member.
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In Rae Bareli, the BJP is again pitting Mr. Dinesh Pratap Singh, an influential local Rajput leader who contested against senior Congress leader Sonia Gandhi in the 2019 parliamentary polls. Even though he lost the election, Mr. Dinesh Pratap Singh reduced the margin of defeat in the Congress bastion by over 1,60,000 votes. He polled 3,67,740 (38.36%) votes against Ms. Gandhi’s 5,34,918 votes (55.80%), losing by about 1,67,000 votes. In the 2014 Lok Sabha election, the BJP lost the prestigious seat by over 3,50,000 votes. The Congress is yet to announce its candidate for Rae Bareli seat. Ms. Gandhi has opted out citing health issues, and has been elected to the Rajya Sabha from Rajasthan.
In Kaiserganj, Mr. Karan Bhushan Singh, 34, a national level double trap shooter who holds degrees in business and law, is not seen as surprise choice as his father, a six-time MP and former chief of the Wrestling Federation of India, is facing allegations of sexual harassment made by women wrestlers, an issue that hit the headlines and put the BJP on the back foot. Khap panchayats and farmers from Haryana’s hinterland have issued an ultimatum that action should be taken against Mr. Singh.
“The BJP had to give the ticket to someone from Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh’s family as he wields considerable influence in the region and has won the seat since three consecutive times,” Rajnikant Tripathi, a Lucknow-based political analyst, said.
