Like in the case of the Opposition INDIA bloc, Confusion on the selection of candidates in the remaining 12 Lok Sabha seats of Uttar Pradesh persists in the BJP.
The INDIA is yet to declare its candidates for several seats in UP going to polls in four phases. The situation in the ruling BJP is no different with more than one contender in some of the 12 seats while in others the party is waiting for the Opposition to declare its candidate before revealing its card.
The BJP has so far declared candidates for 63 Lok Sabha seats in the state and has left five seats for its allies.
BJP sources said here on Sunday that the party would announce candidates for the 12 seats soon.
Among the remaining seats, Rae Bareli’s seat, which is considered a Congress stronghold, has been dry for the BJP since 1999. The saffron party is waiting for Congress to reveal its cards first.
In Rae Bareli, the big question is who will be Sonia Gandhi’s successor?
Congress is also maintaining suspense regarding this.
BJP has never been able to win the Mainpuri seat. This time, the BJP, which is busy preparing for Mission 80, wants to corner SP in its stronghold. Who will take the lead against SP candidate Dimple Yadav from Mainpuri? Brainstorming on this is going on in the BJP.
According to sources, given the large number of Shakya voters in Mainpuri, the local unit there had expressed its desire to field a senior party leader from this community to contest the elections, but the matter did not progress further.
The party intends to field a state government minister from Mainpuri, but he also expressed reluctance. At present the party is looking for a big name for the election battle of Mainpuri.
The BJP also considers the Firozabad seat as a challenge and the party is looking for a strong candidate here too. Elections will be held in the third phase on Mainpuri and Firozabad seats, for which nomination which will start on April 12.
There is a lot of confusion regarding the Kaiserganj seat also. After the dispute with the women wrestlers, the current MP and former President of the Indian Wrestling Association, Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, there is a question of whether he should be fielded again or not.
Sources said there was a discussion that the party could give the ticket to Brij Bhushan’s son or wife instead of him. On the other hand, Brij Bhushan himself is adamant about contesting the elections. In such a situation, it has to be seen ultimately who gets the ticket.
There is also a dilemma within the BJP regarding the candidates for the Kaushambi, Allahabad, and Phulpur seats. UP Industrial Development Minister Nand Gopal Gupta ‘Nandi’ is trying hard to get a ticket for his wife and former mayor of Prayagraj Abhilasha Gupta on the Allahabad seat, but a senior leader of the party is opposing it.
Similar was the situation for the Phulpur seat, where there is no choice of candidate has emerged so far. BJP wants to pocket the Ghazipur seat, which they lost to BSP in the last Lok Sabha elections. But after the death of Mukhtar Ansari, the circumstances have changed rapidly in Ghazipur and the political temperature here has suddenly increased. Given the possibility of polarisation, the BJP is rethinking its strategy here.
In Ballia, the party is considering some more names including former MP
Neeraj Shekhar, son of former PM late Chandrashekhar.
The party has yet to select candidates though it is their sitting seats like Deoria, Machlishahar, and Bhadoi.
The BJP released the first list of the candidates on 51 Lok Sabha seats in UP on March 2 while the candidates on 13 Lok Sabha seats (including changing one candidate) in the state were announced on March 24. Thereafter the party was silent on the remaining seats.