The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday put forward Karan Bhushan Singh, son of former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, as its candidate for the Kaiserganj constituency in Uttar Pradesh for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
This announcement comes as a departure from the party's previous selection, omitting Brij Bhushan Singh, who has represented Kaiserganj in the past.
The decision to exclude Brij Bhushan Singh follows allegations of sexual harassment, particularly by female wrestlers, which led to widespread protests, including those from prominent athletes like Sakshi Malik, Bajrang Punia, and Vinesh Phogat. Last June, the Delhi Police filed a chargesheet against the former WFI chief in connection with the case.
Furthermore, the BJP has designated Dinesh Pratap Singh as its nominee for the Rae Bareli constituency, historically associated with the Gandhi family. Singh previously contested against Sonia Gandhi in the 2019 elections and has gained the party's support once again. However, Sonia Gandhi will not be participating this time, having been nominated to the Rajya Sabha from Rajasthan.
Meanwhile, the Congress party remains undecided about its candidates for both Amethi and Rae Bareli, two of its strongholds. In the 2019 elections, BJP's Smriti Irani secured victory over Rahul Gandhi in Amethi, marking the end of Congress' long-standing dominance in the area.
While the BJP had earlier announced candidates for most seats in Uttar Pradesh, confirmation for the Kaiserganj constituency was pending. Both Kaiserganj and Rae Bareli are slated to vote on May 20 during the fifth phase of the Lok Sabha elections.
In the 2019 elections, Brij Bhushan secured a significant victory in Kaiserganj, defeating BSP's Chandradev Ram Yadav by over 2.5 lakh votes.
