Kolkata: After the BJP dropped Varun Gandhi from its Lok Sabha candidates’ list, the Congress extended an invitation to him. Senior Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Tuesday said Varun Gandhi is “most welcome” to join the grand old party.
Varun is the BJP’s incumbent MP from Uttar Pradesh’s Pilibhit.
Addressing reporters, Adhir Chowdhury alleged that the BJP dropped the 44-year-old from the election fray due to his family ties to the Gandhi family.
“He (Varun Gandhi) should join Congress. We would be delighted if he does. He is a prominent leader, a well-educated politician, and his reputation reflects transparency. We urge Varun Gandhi to consider joining Congress,” Adhir Chowdhury remarked.
The BJP announced its fifth list of Lok Sabha candidates on Sunday (March 24), excluding Varun Gandhi from the Pilibhit seat in Uttar Pradesh. However, the party retained his mother, Maneka Gandhi, for the Sultanpur constituency.
Former Congress member Jitin Prasada, who switched allegiance to the BJP in 2021, has been nominated from Pilibhit in place of Varun Gandhi.
Meanwhile, India TV quoted sources and said Varun feels “betrayed” by the BJP’s decision and may opt out of contesting the elections altogether. The sources also indicated that Varun had recently procured four sets of nomination papers through an associate, and his party workers were instructed to prepare campaign vehicles in every village of Pilibhit.
However, following the BJP’s refusal to grant him a ticket, there has been no communication from Varun.
Earlier this month, sources suggested that Varun might consider contesting the Lok Sabha polls independently if denied a ticket by the BJP.
However, the BJP leader is yet to officially announce his next steps.
Varun Gandhi purportedly had disagreements with the BJP after criticizing the Yogi Adityanath-led government in Uttar Pradesh on multiple occasions.
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