NEW DELHI: The BJP’s three-term Member of Parliament, Varun Gandhi, has turned down his party leadership’s request to take on Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who is likely to be fielded by the Congress from the Rae Bareli Lok Sabha constituency in Uttar Pradesh.
According to sources, Varun was approached by BJP president J P Nadda, Union home minister Amit Shah and a few other senior leaders of the party with the offer in the last couple of weeks. But he refused to accept the offer.
Sources said Varun told his party leadership that it would not be right for him to take on his sister. Varun has been upset with the BJP leadership for denying him a ticket from Pilibhit, a constituency he has represented twice in the Lok Sabha.
The BJP top leadership is sure that Gandhi siblings Rahul and Priyanka will contest the current Lok Sabha election from Amethi and Rae Bareli, respectively. The party leadership feels that Priyanka’s entry into the Lok Sabha with a big victory margin has a potential to galvanise Congressmen across the country.
It has already named Union minister Smriti Irani as its candidate from Amethi. Sources said the party got a survey done for Rae Bareli to find the best candidate against Priyanka.
Among the names it asked the voters as its possible candidate were former Union minister and Madhya Pradesh chief minister Uma Bharti, Uttar Pradesh deputy chief minister Brajesh Pathak, founder-president of Bajrang Dal and former MP Vinay Katiyar, Rakesh Pratap Singh of the Sheogarh royal family of Rae Bareli and former chief whip of Samajwadi Party Manoj Pandey, who crossed over to the BJP during the recent Rajya Sabha elections in the state. Pandey is an MLA from Unchahar assembly segment of the Rae Bareli parliamentary constituency.
The result of the survey showed that none of the names being considered by the party were in a position to defeat Priyanka. To the party’s surprise, Varun Gandhi was mentioned by most respondents as the best BJP candidate against Priyanka.
