UP Minister Jitin Prasada Replaces Varun Gandhi In Pilibhit Contest

Uttar Pradesh Minister Jitin Prasada, who crossed over from the Congress to the BJP two years ago, was today named the BJP's candidate for Pilibhit Lok Sabha constituency, replacing Varun Gandhi. 

Pilibhit has been represented by Varun Gandhi's mother Maneka Gandhi or him for over two decades.

The BJP, however, renominated former Union Minister Maneka Gandhi from Sultanpur constituency as it released its fifth list of 111 names for the polls.  

Mr Prasada, who was a minister twice in the Manmohan Singh-led Congress government and was considered one of Rahul Gandhi's top aides, lost three elections on the trot - the 2014 and 2019 national elections and the UP assembly polls in 2017.

Varun Gandhi, in his debut contest in 2009, won Pilibhit decisively with 4.19 lakh votes. His subsequent wins in 2014 and 2019 further cemented the family's political dominance.

Mr Gandhi, 44, a writer and a poet, had been attacking his own party and government policies in the past few years. 

In another development, the BJP has fielded Atul Garg from Ghaziabad and dropped sitting MP and Union Minister V K Singh. Shortly before the list was announced, Mr Singh said in a post on X that he will not contest the polls.

This is the second list of candidates from UP released by the BJP for the Lok Sabha elections. The party is yet to declare its candidate for the Raebareli Lok Sabha seat.

In Budaun, the party has announced the name of Durvijay Singh Shakya, overlooking its current MP Sanghamitra Maurya.

In Bareilly, the party has replaced sitting MP Santosh Gangwar and given the ticket to Chattrapal Singh Gangwar.

The party has announced Raghav Lakhanpal as its nominee from Saharanpur, Sarvesh Singh from Moradabad and Satish Gautam from Aligarh seats.