BJP replaces Brij Bhushan with his son as candidate from Kaiserganj Lok Sabha seat

NEW DELHI: Ending weeks of speculation, the BJP on Thursday named Karan Bhushan Singh as its Lok Sabha candidate from the Kaiserganj seat in Uttar Pradesh, replacing his father and incumbent MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, who is facing criminal charges of sexually harassing women wrestlers.

The party also named Dinesh Pratap Singh as its candidate from Rae Bareli, a Gandhi family bastion which was won by former Congress president Sonia Gandhi five consecutive times.

Sonia Gandhi is now a Rajya Sabha MP and the Congress is yet to announce its candidate for the seat.

While Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh may have been denied the ticket, the fact that the seat's contest remains within the family shows how influential the Thakur leader and six-time MP is in the region and the party.

The former Wrestling Federation of India president, who stepped down amid a raging protest against him over the allegations, has denied the charges. The Delhi Police has filed a charge sheet against him in court.

Brij Bhushan Singh runs a large number of educational institutions in Gonda and neighbouring districts and is seen by his admirers as a benefactor to his constituents, something which has built him a loyal support base and kept him politically strong.

Dinesh Pratap Singh, a minister in the Uttar Pradesh government, was the BJP's candidate from the Rae Bareli parliamentary seat in 2019 too.

Both seats are going to the polls in the fifth phase of the Lok Sabha election on May 20. The last date for filing nomination papers is May 3.