UP elections 2022: Race to get ticket for sons/daughters in SP, BJP

The Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Uttar Pradesh are witnessing a unique rebellion in the wake of upcoming assembly elections where the party leaders are up in arms against the leadership demanding assembly tickets for their sons, daughters, or even relatives.

BJP MP from Prayagraj Rita Bahuguna Joshi had written a letter to the national party president JP Nadda to give the ticket to her son Mayank. She claims that Mayank is active in politics since 2009 and deserves a ticket. “I am ready to quit if that is what it takes to get a ticket for my son,” she said.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leadership has decided not to give tickets to the family members of the elected representatives barring those who are already elected members. The party leadership is using this clause to deny tickets to the family members of the elected representatives.

One of the senior BJP leaders said that Pankaj Singh, eldest son of Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, got the ticket from Noida but his second son Neeraj Singh, who is also active in politics has been denied a ticket.

Sources claim that this clause had angered OBC leader Swami Prasad Maurya, whose daughter is an MP and he was asking for a ticket for his son Uttkarash Maurya but when the leadership denied him a ticket he left BJP and joined SP. The political grapevine is ripe that his son will contest the election on SP ticket from Unchahar assembly constituency in Rae Bareli which is represented by a sitting party MLA Manoj Pandey.

Then there is the case of BJP MP from Mohanlalganj Kaushal Kishore, who is also a minister in the Modi cabinet, and two-time BJP MP Jagdambika Pal both of whom are also seeking tickets for their sons.

The interesting contest is between husband and wife for the ticket. The husband is BJP vice-president Daya Shankar Singh while his wife Swati Singh is the Women empowerment minister in the Yogi government. Both are asking for tickets from Sarojininagar constituency.

“I am a BJP man and there is no confusion with us. If I will get a ticket, Swati will sit out and if Swati gets it, I will have to sit out,” said Daya Shankar.

In Samajwadi Party, the leadership has no qualms over senior party leaders and former minister Md Azam Khan, currently in jail, and his son Abdullah, who was released from jail recently would contest elections. Azam Khan would contest from Rampur while his son from Suar.

Another senior leader Reoti Raman Singh is MP from Rajya Sabha while son Ujjawal Raman Singh will contest from Karchchana in Prayagraj.