The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday declared Dinesh Pratap Singh as its candidate for the Raebareli seat for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Raebareli, a stronghold of the Gandhi family, has been won four times in a row by former Congress president Sonia Gandhi .
The BJP also fielded Karan Bhushan Singh from Kaiserganj. He is the youngest son of former WFI president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, the sitting MP from Kaiserganj.
READ ALSO: 'Confusion appears…': Amit Shah as tension over Gandhi's fight against Amethi, Raebareli escalates
Who is Dinesh Pratap Singh?
Dinesh Pratap Singh is a state minister of Uttar Pradesh (independent charge) and a BJP leader. He had contested the 2019 Lok Sabha elections from Raebareli constituency and was defeated by Congress leader Sonia Gandhi.
Singh was previously in the Congress party. He became a member of the Legislative Council of Congress for the first time in 2010 and for the second time in 2016. He left the Congress and joined the BJP in 2018.
The BJP then fielded him as its candidate in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections against Sonia Gandhi from Raebareli. In 2022, Dinesh Pratap Singh became an MLC for the third time by winning with record votes on the BJP ticket, Hindustan reported.
After being nominated as Raebareli candidate for the BJP, Dinesh Pratap Singh said, “…I assure the country that the farewell of 'nakli' Gandhis from Raebareli is certain. It is certain that the 'lotus' of the BJP will blossom and the Congress will lose.”
Dinesh Pratap Singh added, “I even fought against four-time MP Sonia Gandhi, so Priyanka Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi are not important to me. Whichever Gandhi comes to Rae Bareli, they will lose.”
Who will be Raebareli's congressional candidate this time?
Raebareli has been the Congress stronghold. Congress veteran Sonia Gandhi has been the MP from Raebareli since 2004. Earlier this year, she announced that she will not contest the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Since the announcement, speculations have been rife that her daughter Priyanka Gandhi would contest the Raebareli seat. Her posters were also recently seen in the constituency.
Amid the tension over Congress nominees Amethi and Raebareli, sources told news agency PTI on Thursday that the party has prepared an alternative plan in case Priyanka Gandhi does not contest Vadra from Raebareli. They said a grandson of former Congress leader and Indira Gandhi's aunt Sheila Kaul could be fielded for the Congress bastion.
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Published: May 2, 2024 4:45 PM IST