BJP rebel Lokesh Nangroo takes a U-turn, says will not contest

A day after announcing that he would contest as an Independent, BJP rebel Lokesh Nangroo on Wednesday took a U-turn after a daylong meeting with the RSS office-bearers and BJP candidate of Panipat (Rural) constituency and minister Mahipal Dhanda.

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The BJP has declared the names of candidates of all four Assembly constituencies — Panipat Urban, Panipat Rural, Israna (reserved) and Samalkha. In all four constituencies, rebels have raised tensions within the party.

Nangroo on Tuesday had called a meeting of his supporters in Sector 25 here in which he said he was born in the BJP and would die in the same party. But he said he would contest as Independent from the Panipat (Urban) Assembly segment. “I tried to get ticket from the party but they chose some other candidate. Youths comprise two-thirds of the population in the world. If the party decides to choose only the elderly, where would the youth go?” asked Lokesh.

But the next day, senior office-bearers of RSS including Anoop Garg, Mohinder Kansal, Balram Nandwani and others reached his residence in the morning. His father Ramesh Nangroo, a senior functionary of the RSS, was also present in the meeting.

As per sources, BJP leader Mahipal Dhanda also reached the residence of Lokesh Nangroo and pacified him. Even the BJP incharge and Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan talked to him over the phone. After a seven-hour-long meeting, Nangroo got pacified.

Minister Mahipal Dhanda said that it is a family matter and if a family member gets angry, then it is the responsibility of the elders to resolve it within the family. Now, Lokesh has been pacified, he said.

Nangroo said that he would always be with his supporters and friends and would always fight for them. He refused to contest the elections.