Making light of the protest in Deoria against his candidature, senior BJP leader Kalraj Mishra said he was a consensus candidate from that seat and thanked the party high command for making him the party candidate from Deoria lok Sabha seat.
"I am happy to be a member of Narendra Modi’s team in Uttar Pradesh. I was given ticket from Deoria as high command felt that I was suitable candidate and win seat from this tough constituency," Mishra told The Pioneer here on Sunday.
"We are part of discplined team and should obey the directives of the party," he said after he return to the state capital from the New Delhi this afternoon. "I appeal to the party worker to unitedly work hard to make Modi as next Prime Minister of the country," he said.
Wishing the people of the state particularly his voters of Deoria on the festival of Holi, Kalraj said that he would launch his campaign within a couple of days’ time. Kalraj, who was earlier told by the high command to prepare for the Kanpur seat and then from Shravasti was at last given the Deoria seat, adjoining the Gorakhpur seat representated by high-profile BJP candidate Yogi Adityanath.
Former UP state president Surya Pratap Shahi was in race for ticket from Deoria and when the news flashed about Kalraj contesting from Deoria supporters of Shahi staged protest at main city crossing and even raised anti-party slogans. There were reports that Shahi might contest as independent candidate from Deoria.Shahi later denied these reports. "I do not who staged protest against party high command," he said. Kalraj, MlA from lucknow east was among the 54 candidates from UP whose name was announced as candidates for the lok Sabha election.