Sakshi Maharaj demands renomination from Unnao seat, warns ‘result may not be good’ otherwise

In a veiled threat to the BJP leadership, Unnao MP Sakshi Maharaj on Wednesday warned that if he is not renominated from the seat, "the result may not be good" for the party this time.

The 63-year-old saffron-clad lawmaker said he had written a letter to state BJP chief Mahendra Nath Pandey in this regard on March 7, which has gone viral in social and electronic media.

"The result may not be good (for the BJP) if the party takes any decision (other than fielding me from Unnao)," the four-time Lok Sabha member said.

Replying to a question, the Lok Sabha MP expressed surprise over the leakage of the letter typed on his letterhead and said it should be probed how the letter was made public.

Maharaj, who has also been a Rajya Sabha member, however, said, "As far as I am concerned, I strongly believe my ticket is confirmed." "But, if the party takes any other decision pertaining to me, then there is every possibility that the people of the state will feel hurt and the result may not be good," he said.

In his letter to Pandey, the Unnao MP asserted that he was instrumental is ending the BJP's 15-year-long poll drought in the constituency, which is 65 km from state capital Lucknow.

"I would like to draw your attention to the fact that in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, I had registered a win by a margin of 3.15 lakh votes. SP came second while Congress and BSP candidates had to forfeit their deposits," he said in his missive.

He pointed out that this time, the SP will be contesting the seat (under the SP-BSP alliance), implying that the contest might be tough.

Maharaj claimed that he would win the seat by a bigger margin of four to five lakh votes this time if he was renominated.