In a veiled threat to the party brass, BJP MP from Unnao Sakshi Maharaj said that if he was denied a ticket from Unnao, ‘the party would have to face serious consequences’, which would not be pleasant for the party.
The threat came in the form of a letter dated March 7 written to state BJP president Mahendra Nath Pandey. Sakshi Maharaj confirmed that he had written to Pandey and people close to the state BJP chief also admitted to receiving the letter.
There were rumours that the party might deny ticket to over 50 per cent of sitting MPs this time because of their non-performance. The list could include Shakshi Maharaj, who recently faced media flak for his indecent behaviour during the cremation of a Pulwama martyr.
In his two-page letter, Sakshi Maharaj justified his demand seeking re-election saying that he was the only OBC face of the party in Unnao. Pointing towards caste equations in Unnao, Sakshi claimed that it was tilted in his favour. To buttress his point, the MP even said that that elected lawmakers of the BJP from Unnao were either Thakur, Brahmin, Vaishya, Paasi or Dhobi.
“Before I came to Unnao, the representation of the BJP in Unnao was minimal. After I became MP, the party gained ground and now there are six MLAs and one MLC. If the party takes some other decision, crores of party workers across the state will get hurt, and the result of which will not be good for the party,” Sakshi Maharaj mentioned in his letter.
The BJP MP also stresed that he was not interested in contesting from any other constituency of Uttar Pradesh. The BJP MP from Unnao concluded by mentioning: “Under these circumstances, I urge you to give me ticket from Unnao once again. I assure you that I will win this seat for the BJP by a margin of five lakh votes. I believe you will do justice with me.”