The BJP dropped its Kaiserganj sitting MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, who has been accused of sexual harassment by women wrestlers, and fielded his son Karan from the seat.
Karan Bhushan Singh is the youngest son of Brij Bhushan Singh, who has won the Uttar Pradesh seat three times in a row. In the 2019 Lok Sabha election, Brij Bhushan won the election from Kaiserganj by two lakh votes.
Karan Bhushan Singh is presently the president of the Uttar Pradesh wrestling association. He is also the president of the Cooperative Village Development Bank in Nawabganj, Gonda.
India Today TV had earlier reported that BJP will likely drop Brij Bhushan Singh from the UP seat and give ticket to his son instead. The BJP leadership had a phone conversation with Brij Bhushan over the Kaiserganj seat, sources said.
There were speculation over Brij Bhushan's candidature after the sex harassment allegations against him. The BJP MP, who was the president of the Wrestling Federation of India for nearly a decade, was accused by six women wrestlers of sexual harassment. A massive protest by top Indian wrestlers like Sakshi Malik and Bajrang Punia was held in Delhi's Jantar Mantar for weeks against Brij Bhushan.
Following the wrestlers' protests, a case was registered against Brij Bhushan in June last year.
Brij Bhushan won the 2019 elections from Kaiserganj seat with a huge margin. Now, the BJP has fielded his son from the seat.
Polling will be held in Kaiserganj in the fifth phase of Lok Sabha elections on May 20.
