The BJP has dropped the former Wrestling Federation of India president from the Kaiserganj seat and given the seat to his son, Karan Bhushan Singh.
Lok Sabha Election 2024: Ending weeks of speculation, the BJP on Thursday named Karan Bhushan Singh as its Lok Sabha candidate from the Kaiserganj seat, replacing his father and incumbent MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, who is facing criminal charges of sexually harassing women wrestlers.
The party also named Dinesh Pratap Singh as its candidate from Raebareli, a Gandhi family bastion that has been won by former Congress president Sonia Gandhi five consecutive times. She is now a Rajya Sabha MP and the Congress has yet to announce its candidate for the seat.
While Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh may have been denied the ticket, the fact that the seat’s contest remains within the family shows how influential the Thakur leader and six-time MP are in the region and the party.
“I am not a candidate right now. But the BJP has no contest on the Kaiserganj Lok Sabha seat. Last time, victory was won by more than 2 lakh votes; this time, the workers have given a slogan of 5 lakh votes. If God has decided this, what can I do? But I am a strong contender, so I will contest 99.9%…0.1% would remain,” the former Wrestling Federation of India chief said in late April.
TMC Leader Sagarika Ghose Reacts On Ticket Deniel To Brij Bhushan
TMC leader Sagarika Ghose says, ” That BJP has given a ticket to Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh’s son Karan Singh is shameful and disgraceful. Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh has been accused of serious sexual assault by none other than India’s Olympic medal-winning women wrestlers. He has also been accused under the POSCO act. To give a ticket to Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh’s son is nothing but politics of proxy. It shows BJP is not willing to condemn the sexual assault committed by Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. BJP says it’s against dynastic politics, so what is this but dynastic politics?”
Watch:
#WATCH | BJP gives Kaiserganj parliamentary ticket to Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh’s son Karan Bhushan Singh, TMC leader Sagarika Ghose says, ” That BJP has given a ticket to Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh’s son Karan Singh is shameful and disgraceful. Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh has been… pic.twitter.com/5tYbUdqigv
— ANI (@ANI) May 2, 2024
The former Wrestling Federation of India president, who stepped down amid a raging protest against him over the allegations, has denied the charges. The Delhi Police has filed a charge sheet against him in court.
Brij Bhushan Singh runs a large number of educational institutions in Gonda and neighbouring districts and is seen by his admirers as a benefactor to his constituents, something that has built him a loyal support base and kept him politically strong.
Dinesh Pratap Singh, a minister in the Uttar Pradesh government, was the BJP’s candidate for the Rae Bareli parliamentary seat in 2019 too. Both seats are going to the polls in the fifth phase of the Lok Sabha election on May 20. The last date for filing nomination papers is May 3.
(With inputs from agencies)
