Rita Bahuguna Joshi offers to resign in lieu of Assembly ticket for son

New Delhi, January 18

BJP’s Prayagraj Lok Sabha representative Rita Bahuguna Joshi has offered to resign as MP in lieu of a party ticket for son Mayank Joshi in the upcoming assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh.

“He (Mayank Joshi) has been working since 2009 and has applied for a ticket from Lucknow Cantt, rightfully. But if the party has decided to give ticket to only one person per family, I will resign from my present Lok Sabha seat if Mayank gets a ticket,” Joshi was quoted as saying

At the same time Joshi also maintained that she is not lobbying for his candidature.

Here to meet BJP’s Uttar Pradesh in-charge Dharmendra Pradhan, which she called a “courtesy call” to discuss party issues, Joshi said while her son has the right to seek a ticket she was “not lobbying for it”.

She also said that her meeting with Pradhan was regarding zonal issues related to the party ahead of the elections.

“If he is asking for a party ticket, then it is his right to do so. But that is not the issue I discussed today (with Central leadership). I have already said that I do not intend to fight the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. In fact, I do not want to fight any polls.

“I am not lobbying for my son. The party has his profile and will decide accordingly,” said the former Congress leader, who joined the BJP in 2016.

She said she has sent the proposal to party president JP Nadda.

“I will always continue working for the BJP. The party can choose to accept or reject my proposal. I had already declared that I will not contest elections many years ago,” she also added.

BJP’s Suresh Chandra Tiwari is the sitting MLA from Lucknow Cantt, one of the assembly constituencies in the Lucknow district having a sizable population of Hindu/Brahmin voters.