BJP replaces Brij Bhushan with son; repeats Dinesh Singh in Rae Bareli | Lucknow News – Times of India

Lucknow: Ending weeks of speculation on the fate of former WFI chief and Kaiserganj MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, BJP on Thursday replaced him with his younger son, Karan Bhushan Singh, as its candidate from the seat.The party also announced the candidature of UP minister Dinesh Pratap Singh from Rae Bareli. This would be the second occasion when Dinesh, a former Congressman, will be contesting from Rae Bareli.In 2019, he had contested against Congress leader Sonia Gandhi but lost by over 1.67 lakh votes.This time the contest has turned crucial as Sonia has opted out of Lok Sabha polls after getting elected to the Rajya Sabha from Rajasthan. BJP, sources said, is relying on Dinesh Pratap Singh’s connect with grassroots functionaries, specially at the gram and block levels, in the constituency. Sources said Dinesh has already hit the ground and is holding meetings with different sections in the constituency. Even local BJP organisational cadre had been pressing for his name.By denying a ticket to Brij Bhushan, BJP has tried to send out a message of distancing itself from tainted leaders. Singh, the former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief, has been accused of sexual harassment by several women wrestlers.With the denial of ticket to Brij Bhushan, BJP has so far benched 15 MPs in the Lok Sabha elections. Singh, a six-time MP — thrice from Kaiserganj (2009, 2014 and 2019) and also from neighbouring constituencies of Gonda (1991 and 1999) and Balrampur (2004) — wields considerable influence in and around Gonda.Singh exerts clout through 54 educational institutions that he owns or is associated with. These institutions are spread on both sides of the 100km stretch of Ayodhya-Gonda highway that connects four districts of Gonda, Balrampur, Bahraich and Shravasti.Brij Bhushan said Kaiserganj voters are happy with the BJP decision to field his son. He said that Karan will begin the campaign after filing his nomination on Friday. Meanwhile, Karan visited the Hanuman Garhi temple in Ayodhya after getting the ticket and said he took the blessings of Lord Hanuman and seers in the temple town.Sources said Singh was pitching for his candidacy while BJP was exploring the options of fielding his wife Ketaki or son Prateek, an MLA from Gonda Sadar, from Kaiserganj. Ketaki was BJP’s Gonda MP in 1996. The BJP brass, at the same time, was cautious vis-à-vis Singh’s candidature to prevent the opposition from attacking the saffron outfit.With the announcement of Dinesh Singh and Karan Bhushan Sharan Singh, BJP has so far fielded 13 Rajput candidates in UP. The other 11 being: Sarvesh Singh (Moradabad) (he passed away recently), Vishwadeep Singh (Firozabad), Jaiveer Singh (Mainpuri), Rajnath Singh (Lucknow), Devendra Singh (Akbarpur), Pushpendra Singh Chandel (Hamirpur), Lallu Singh (Ayodhya), Kirti Vardhan Singh (Gonda), Jagdambika Pal (Domariyaganj), Neeraj Shekhar (Ballia) and Kripa Shankar Singh (Jaunpur).BJP has now announced candidates for all the 75 seats (out of 80) it is contesting in UP. BJP ally, Apna Dal (S), is yet to announce the candidate in Robertsganj which is represented by its sitting MP Pakauri Lal Kol.