Even as suspense continues over the name of Congress candidate from Lucknow Lok Sabha constituency, former Union Minister Jitin Prasada, who unsuccessfully contested from Dhaurahra parliamentary seat in 2014, has hinted at contesting from Lucknow instead of Dhaurahra.
Prasada, who was on his way to the State capital via Sitapur on Thursday, was stopped by Congress workers who wanted him to contest from Dhaurahra. “My body may be present in Lucknow but my soul will always be in Dhaurahra. Give me some time, I am standing at a political cross-roads. I am going to Lucknow and will decide what I have to do,” said Prasada as he addressed Congress workers at Kanshiram Colony in Sitapur.
Jitin Prasada reached his Lawrence Terrace house in Lucknow in the evening and held a meeting with his supporters over the future strategy.
Earlier, there were rumours that Jitin Prasada was joining the BJP after reports emerged of his being unhappy with alleged pressure from the party leadership to change his seat from Dhaurahra to Lucknow. However, he rubbished the speculation.
Prasada was a Union Minister in the UPA Government and is presently an invitee member of the Congress Working Committee.
As per sources, the Congress is likely to field him from Lucknow for a direct fight with Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh. The sources said Congress general secretary incharge of eastern UP, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, came up with the idea of shifting Prasada from his present constituency after the former Minister reportedly conveyed his reservation over fighting from Dhaurahra.
Prasada, a Brahmin, hails from a prominent political family of Shahjahanpur. His father, late Jitendra Prasada, was a Congress stalwart and had even contested the party presidential election against Sonia Gandhi.
Jitin Prasada son won his first Lok Sabha election from Shahjahanpur in 2004. In 2009, he shifted to the newly-formed Dhaurahra constituency and won but in 2014, he lost to the BJP. Dhaurahra is one of the 80 Lok Sabha constituencies in UP that will go to polls in the fourth phase. While the Congress has declared Prasada as its official candidate from Dhaurahra, reliable sources close to the leader said the party now wanted to shift him to Lucknow.
