Indus Valley Times

NEW DELHI, MAR 26 : After the BJP dropped Varun Gandhi, sitting MP from Uttar Pradesh’s Pilibhit, from its Lok Sabha candidates’ list, Congress made an offer to him. Senior Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Tuesday said that Varun Gandhi is “most welcome” to join the grand old party.

Speaking to reporters, Adhir Chowdhury alleged that the reason behind the BJP dropping the 44-year-old from the poll race is his family roots in the Gandhi family.

) should join Congress. We will be happy if he joins. He is a tall leader, and a well-educated politician. His image exudes transparency, and he has relations with the Gandhi family. This is the reason why the BJP did not give him a ticket. We want Varun Gandhi to join Congress now,” Adhir Chowdhury said.

The BJP released its fifth list of Lok Sabha candidates on Sunday (March 24), and dropped Varun Gandhi – the sitting MP from Uttar Pradesh’s Pilibhit seat. However, the party retained his mother Maneka Gandhi from the Sultanpur constituency.

Former Congress leader, Jitin Prasada, who switched sides to the BJP in 2021, has been fielded from Pilibhit in place of Varun Gandhi.

Sources told India Today TV, Varun Gandhi feels “cheated” by the BJP’s snub and that he might not contest elections at all.

The sources further stated that the BJP leader had recently purchased four sets of nomination papers via his associate and al his party workers were told to keep two cars and 10 motorcycles ready in every village of Pilibhit for election campaigning. However, ever since the BJP ticket denial, there has been no word from Varun Gandhi’s camp.

Earlier this month, sources revealed that Varun Gandhi might contest the Lok Sabha polls as an independent should the BJP deny him a ticket.

The BJP leader is, however, yet to make an official statement about his next moves.

Varun Gandhi allegedly had a falling out with the BJP following his criticism of the Yogi Adityanath-led government in Uttar Pradesh on multiple occasions.

-PTI