In a surprising turn of events, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has made significant changes to its lineup for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in Uttar Pradesh. The party has opted to field MLA Atul Garg from Ghaziabad, dropping sitting MP and Union Minister Gen V K Singh (retd). Similarly, Ramesh Awasthi has been selected for the Kanpur Lok Sabha seat after sitting MP Satyadev Pachauri expressed his reluctance to contest.
This move marks the second list of candidates released by the BJP for the UP Lok Sabha elections, with the party yet to announce its candidate for the Raebareli Lok Sabha seat. Among the notable candidates fielded by the BJP in Uttar Pradesh are Raghav Lakhanpal (Saharanpur), Sarvesh Singh (Moradabad), Satish Gautam (Aligarh), Anoop Valmiki (Hathras-SC), Durvijay Singh Shakya (Budaun), Chhatrapal Singh Gangwar (Bareilly), Rajrani Rawat (Barabanki-SC), and Arvind Gond (Bahraich-SC).
However, the decision to drop certain sitting MPs has stirred controversy within the party. Alongside V K Singh and Satyadev Pachauri, other sitting MPs denied tickets include Santosh Gangwar (Bareilly), Sanghamitra Maurya (Budaun), Upendra Singh Rawat (Barabanki-SC), Rajveer Singh Diler (Hathras-SC), Akshayvar Gaud (Bahraich-SC), and Rajendra Agrawal (Meerut).
One notable inclusion in the BJP’s lineup is Raghav Lakhanpal, who previously served as the Lok Sabha MP from Saharanpur in 2014. Despite losing the 2019 polls to BSP’s Haji Fazlur Rehman, Lakhanpal has been given another opportunity to represent the party in the upcoming elections.
The BJP’s decision to reshuffle its candidate selection reflects a strategic maneuver aimed at securing electoral success in Uttar Pradesh. With the political landscape evolving rapidly, the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in the state promise to be fiercely contested, with each party vying for dominance. As the campaign unfolds, all eyes will be on how these changes impact the BJP’s electoral prospects and the overall dynamics of Uttar Pradesh politics.
