UP BJP MLAs keen on contesting Lok Sabha polls

Lucknow: Even as the BJP leadership is pushing a number of MPs to contest the forthcoming Vidhan Sabha elections in five states, a number of MLAs in Uttar Pradesh are evincing a keen interest in contesting the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

State BJP chief Bhupendra Chaudhary said, “It is for the party leadership to take a call on who contests and from where.” However, he did not rule out the possibility of some ministers contesting the Lok Sabha polls.

Party sources said that nearly a dozen ministers and legislators were already lobbying for a Lok Sabha ticket. Leading the list are two Dalit ministers – Aseem Arun and Baby Rani Maurya.

Aseem Arun is said to be keen on the Etawah seat while Baby Rani Maurya is eyeing the Agra seat.

The two Deputy Chief Ministers – Keshav Prasad Maurya and Brajesh Pathak — are also said to be keen on Lok Sabha tickets.

Maurya wants to contest from Phulpur while Pathak is said to be eyeing the Lucknow Lok Sabha seat in case Union Minister Rajnath Singh does not contest.

A party leader said, “Various aspects will be factored in, including using them in poll campaigns and also as candidates as both have appeal among the OBCs and Brahmins, the two key caste groups of great importance.”

PWD Minister Jitin Prasada, who was Congress’ Brahmin face in UP before he joined the BJP is also being talked about as a possible Lok Sabha candidate.

Jitin Prasada may be fielded from Pilibhit since the sitting BJP MP Varun Gandhi is no longer on the BJP’s list.

UP Transport Minister Daya Shankar Singh is said to be among the leaders in the running for a party ticket from Ballia.

Among other senior ministers who are ready to take the poll plunge in 2024, are Dharampal Singh from Aonla, Nand Gopal Gupta 'Nandi’ from Prayagraj and Chaudhary Laxmi Narayan from Mathura.

Among former ministers, Shrikant Sharma is also a claimant to the Mathura Lok Sabha seat, Siddharth Nath Singh is eyeing Phulpur, Satish Dwivedi is interested in Siddharth Nagar, Suresh Rana in Saharanpur and Anand Shukla in Chitrakoot.

Rajeshwar Singh, MLA from Sarojini Nagar seat in Lucknow, is also said to be keen on contesting the Lok Sabha polls from Sultanpur since Maneka Gandhi is likely to be replaced.

Talking to IANS, one of the ministers who spoke on condition of anonymity said, “Contesting the Lok Sabha polls in the present scenario is a safe bet. If we win, there can be nothing better but if we fail, we always have our own government to fall back on.”