Following the recent meeting of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s Central Election Committee in Delhi, the formation of an election steering committee has been announced for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in Uttar Pradesh.
The committee, comprising five members, will be chaired by Uttar Pradesh Cabinet Minister Swatantra Dev Singh, with PWD Minister Jitin Prasada serving as the co-convener.
Other members of the committee include BJP state vice-president Mohit Beniwal, Kanta Kardam, MLC Dharmendra Singh, UP’s Cooperation Minister JPS Rathore, and MLA Pankaj Singh. Their responsibilities encompass campaign management, booth organisation and liaising with the Election Commission of India.
In light of the BJP’s defeat in 16 seats parliamentary constituencies in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, strategies are being devised to reclaim these seats. While BJP secured victories in the Rampur and Azamgarh by-elections, efforts are underway to regain the remaining 14 seats.
Discussions during the BJP Central Election Committee meeting in Delhi revolved around formulating strategies and identifying potential candidates for these constituencies.
Among the Lok Sabha seats targeted for resurgence are Ghazipur, Ghoshi, Nagina, Saharanpur, Bijnor, Amroha, Shravasti, Ambedkar Nagar, Lalganj, Mainpuri, Jaunpur, Sambhal, Rae Bareli and Moradabad. Notably, the BJP has recently made strides in Ambedkar Nagar, with Bahujan Samaj Party MP Ritesh Pandey joining the party’s ranks.
Consideration of candidates on these seats extends to ministers, MLAs, actors, and allied parties, as per sources within the BJP’s election committee.
The BJP Central Election Committee also scrutinised high-profile Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh during its recent meeting. Over 50 seats in the state were discussed, including those held by prominent figures such as Prime Minister Narendra Modi (Varanasi), Defence Minister Rajnath Singh (Lucknow), Union Minister Smriti Irani (Amethi), Union Minister SP Singh Baghel (Agra) and Union Minister Sanjeev Balyan (Muzaffarnagar).
The BJP committee is considering nominations for these seats, with potential candidates ranging from ministers and MLAs to individuals from the film industry.
In a departure from previous practices, the BJP Lok Sabha Election Committee has outlined specific criteria for ticket allocation in each constituency. MPs aged above 75 years, those embroiled in controversies, and those facing anti-incumbency sentiments within their constituencies are likely to have their tickets revoked.
Notable MPs falling under these categories include Mathura MP Hema Malini, Prayagraj MP Rita Bahuguna Joshi, Bareilly MP Santosh Gangwar, Kanpur MP Satyadev Pachauri and Bahraich MP Akshaywar Lal Gaur.
Additionally, parliamentarians such as Kaiserganj MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, Kheri MP Ajay Mishra Teni, Mohanlalganj MP Kaushal Kishore, Dumariaganj MP Jagdambika Pal, Meerut MP Rajendra Agarwal, Sultanpur MP Maneka Gandhi and Pilibhit MP Varun Gandhi may be denied tickets due to various factors, including controversies and performance concerns.
