Rajnath''s son in BJP''s second list of 155 for UP elections
Mukesh Ranjan
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, January 22
The BJP on Sunday released its second list of 155 candidates for the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, fielding Home Minister Rajnath Singh’s son Pankaj Singh from Noida.
The second list has several sons and daughters of senior party leaders and also turncoats.
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Senior BJP leader Arun Singh, while announcing the names in a joint press conference here with UP party chief Keshav Prasad Maurya, refused to buy the argument claiming, “Only viable candidates are given ticket as those who join party and work for it are the BJP family members”.
Besides Pankaj Singh, senior BJP leader Lalji Tondon’s son Ashutosh Tondon (Lucknow East), and party MP Hukum Singh’s daughter Mriganka Singh (Kairana) have been fielded.
In the first list of 149 candidates too BJP had named Sandeep Singh, son of former Chief Minister Kalyan Singh, from Atrauli.
Prominent turncoats on the list are Reeta Bahuguna Joshi, who has been fielded from Lucknow (Cannt), and former BSP MP Brajesh Pathak, who will contest from Lucknow (Central).
So far the party has announced the names of 304 candidates for the 403-member Assembly for which polling will take place in seven phases on February 11, 15, 19, 23, 27 and March 4 and 8.
