'Writings Critical Of Govt...': Maneka Gandhi On What Costed Son Varun His Lok Sabha Ticket

BJP leader Maneka Gandhi said on Saturday that her son Varun Gandhi's sometimes critical writings about the government may have cost him the party's Lok Sabha ticket from Pilibhit, but he would do well even without it. In an interview with news agency Press Trust of India (PTI), the eight-time MP expressed her disappointment as a mother that Varun Gandhi was denied a ticket, stating that "he will do very well even without a ticket." When asked if his writings on certain topics critical of the government cost him the ticket, she said, "I can't think of one other reason."

The BJP has fielded Maneka Gandhi from Uttar Pradesh's Sultanpur constituency. When asked if Varun would be joining her in the poll campaign? Maneka said Varun Gandhi wants to come and campaign for her, but no decision has been made yet.

The Sultanpur seat in Uttar Pradesh will go to vote on May 25 in the sixth round of the seven-phase general elections. The first phase of voting in Pilibhit took place on April 19. In 2019, the BJP leader received 4,59,196 votes, defeating BSP's Chandra Bhadra Singh who received 4,44,670 votes in Sultanpur. This time, she is up against Ram Bhual Nishad of the Samajwadi Party.

Pilibhit voted in the first phase on April 19, in a three-way race between BJP's Jitin Prasada, Samajwadi Party's Bhagwant Saran Gangwar, and Bahujan Samaj Party's Anis Ahmed Khan. It was speculated that Varun Gandhi would jump into the fray as an independent candidate, but Varun Gandhi distanced himself from the LS polls, neither contesting independently nor with any party.

The BJP fielded Uttar Pradesh Public Works Minister Jitin Prasada from Pilibhit to replace Varun Gandhi, who has repeatedly spoken out against his own government on inflation and unemployment.
Varun Gandhi, a BJP MP who was denied a ticket for the Pilibhit Lok Sabha seat, also wrote an emotional letter to the people of his constituency in which he stated that his relationship with them would last until his death.

Maneka Gandhi or her son have held the Pilibhit seat since 1996. Maneka Gandhi won the seat on a Janata Dal ticket in 1989, then lost it in 1991 before winning it again in 1996. In 1998 and 1999, she won the constituency as an independent candidate. She won the seat in 2004 and 2014 as a BJP candidate. Varun Gandhi won the seat in 2009 and 2019 as a BJP candidate.