Brij Bhushan hints to contest 2029 LS polls
Former BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh on Monday hinted at contesting the 2029 Lok Sabha elections from Faizabad (Ayodhya), saying a final decision would be taken at an appropriate time.
Speaking to reporters after inaugurating a garment showroom at the Civil Lines LIC crossing here, Singh also said that former BJP MP Vinay Katiyar deserved the party ticket from Faizabad, the lone Lok Sabha seat in Ayodhya district. It is Katiyar's right to stake a claim, and there is nothing unusual about it, Singh said. “If Vinay Katiyar is seeking a ticket, it is his right. He is fully entitled to it,” he said. In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Samajwadi Party's Awadhesh Prasad had emerged as a surprise winner from Faizabad, defeating BJP's Lallu Singh by more than 54,000 votes. During a show of strength organised to mark his birthday recently, Singh had hinted at preparing for the 2029 general elections.
Singh's son and sitting BJP MP from Kaiserganj, Karan Bhushan Singh, had publicly stated that the father-son duo would be in the fray for the 2029 polls. On Monday, Singh expressed his gratitude for the support he claimed he was receiving from the youth and on social media, attributing his “growing influence” to public affection and trust, which he described as his biggest strength.
A former president of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI), Singh, who represented three parliamentary constituencies in Uttar Pradesh six times, was denied a ticket by the BJP ahead of the 2024 general elections following allegations of sexual harassment levelled against him by several female wrestlers, including a minor.
Some of the top wrestlers of the country, including Olympians Vinesh Phogat, Sakshi Malik and Bajrang Punia, staged prolonged protests at the Jantar Mantar in Delhi, accusing Singh of inappropriate behaviour and misuse of authority.
A Delhi court last year cleared Singh in the sexual harassment case filed by the minor female wrestler after accepting a Delhi Police closure report recommending the cancellation of the case against the former WFI chief.
