With an aim at winning all the 80 parliamentary seats in Uttar Pradesh in 2024 general elections, ruling Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) is mulling to pitch few of its state ministers and legislators in the fray. The party might deny tickets to over a dozen sitting MPs in the 2024 elections. These include few who are above 75 years of age and others whose winnability is in doubt. Besides that party might change its candidates on a few of the seats keeping in mind the caste factors.
According to a senior UP BJP leader, Kanpur MP, Satyadeo Pachauri, Hema Malini from Mathura, Rita Bahuguna Joshi in Prayagraj, Ramapati Ram from Deoria and Santosh Gangwar from Bareilly are the ones who have completed the age of 75 years. As per party rules these MPs cannot be given tickets again hence fresh faces would replace them as candidates. BJP MP from Pilibhit, Varun Gandhi has been speaking against party lines for some time and he may not get a ticket this time.
The chosen few
Party leaders are of the opinion that few ministers in the Yogi cabinet as well as legislators should be fielded in the 2024 general elections. These include PWD minister Jitin Prasad, MSME minister Rakesh Sachan and minister of state with independent charge Dinesh Singh. While Jitin Prasad may get a ticket from Dhaurahra seat, Rakesh Sachan is likely to be fielded from Fatehpur. Both these leaders had won from these seats in the 2009 general elections but from different parties. The party may pitch former energy minister of UP, Srikant Sharma from Mathura and legislator Shalabh Mani Tripathi from Deoria. Among the other legislators who might get tickets for 2024 parliament elections are Rajeshwar Singh and Rajesh Choudhury. The party is seriously thinking of fielding former Deputy Chief Minister of UP, Dr Dinesh Sharma in the 2024 parliament elections.
Few legislators may also get tickets
The state president of UP BJP, Bhupendra Choudhury confided that the party might field some of the state ministers in the 2024 parliament elections. A few legislators would also get tickets, he said. However, the state BJP president said that a final decision in this regard would be taken by the parliamentary board of the party
