Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday hinted that his party could give ticket to Varun Gandhi from Pilibhit Lok Sabha seat. Varun is presently a BJP MP from Pilibhit.
Akhilesh also struck a conciliatory note for Swami Prasad Maurya, the former SP MLC who recently resigned from the party.
“The party will certainly consider giving a ticket to Varun Gandhi,†Akhilesh said.
He said the party has received the resignation of Swami Prasad Maurya and the matter is before a committee.
Maurya, while resigning from the party and membership of UP Legislative Council, had said that he had no grudges against Akhilesh Yadav.
Varun Gandhi is said to be at loggerheads with the BJP leadership and has been constantly criticising the party leadership over the farmers’ issue. He had also supported the agitation by Punjab farmers on Delhi-Haryana border in 2020-21. Later, he also criticised the BJP government over the Lakhimpur Kheri incident in October 2021 involving the son of Union minister of state Ajay Mishra ‘Teni’. Two farmers had lost their lives in the incident.
Meanwhile, uncertainty continues to prevail over the BJP candidate from Pilibhit Lok Sabha seat. The constituency goes to polls in the first phase of Lok Sabha elections on April 20 and the notification will be issued on Wednesday.
There is still no clarity on whether or not the BJP will clear Varun Gandhi’s name as its candidate from Pilibhit.
The BJP has set itself a target of winning all 80 Lok Sabha seats in the state. Riding high on the Ram Mandir ‘wave’, the party has struck several crucial alliances with smaller parties in a bid to achieve its goal.
The party has struck alliances with Apna Dal (Sonelal), Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party, NISHAD Party, and Rashtriya Lok Dal.
The BJP has declared its candidates on 51 seats so far, but is keeping the cards close to its chest as far as Pilibhit is concerned.
Varun Gandhi, the son of former Union minister Maneka Gandhi, is the incumbent MP from the constituency. Once seen as a formidable force within the BJP, the three-time MP entered the Lok Sabha first in 2009 from Pilibhit. He contested the 2014 Lok Sabha election from Sultanpur in UP and won. In 2019, he returned as the BJP’s candidate from Pilibhit and won again.
The firebrand BJP leader, known to never mince words, today finds himself in a precarious situation, with rumours doing the rounds that the BJP is considering dropping him from its list of candidates. There are also reports that he may contest the election on the SP ticket.
In the latter half of his current term, he has been a man on a mission criticising his own government on multiple fronts. From the farmers’ agitation to unemployment, Varun has veered off the party line, even standing against it on some issues.
However, of late, Varun has appeared to be more accommodative of the party and its own leaders. A recent event to mark the launch of the Amrit Bharat station scheme to redevelop 554 railway stations across the country — Pilibhit being one of them — was the first instance in months when Varun was seen sharing the stage with BJP leaders.
Akhilesh hints at giving ticket to Varun Gandhi
Wednesday, 20 March 2024 | PNS
| Lucknow
Akhilesh hints at giving ticket to Varun Gandhi
Wednesday, 20 March 2024 | PNS | Lucknow
