Ticket in doubt, private ‘poll army’ pitches ‘Brand Varun’

PILIBHIT: With uncertainty on whether he will get a

ticket

from BJP, Pilibhit MP

Varun Gandhi

has been putting together his own private ‘poll army’ that has been going around pitching ‘

Brand Varun

’ to voters since the past six months in his constituency and adjoining areas.
BJP’s first list of 51 candidates from UP — most of them sitting MPs — was marked by the conspicuous absence of Varun and his mother, Sultanpur MP

Maneka Gandhi

.

“He has always maintained a distance from the local party unit. He thinks he can individually pull things through, despite winning the last two LS polls from here on a BJP ticket and with support of the party organisation. Ignoring the party discipline, he openly opposed the candidates during 2022 state assembly polls,” said a senior BJP functionary from Pilibhit, requesting anonymity.

Pravaktanand, BJP MLA from Pilibhit’s Barkhera assembly segment, said “The party leadership is aware of the role Varun played in Pilibhit in the recent past. Even then, if he is fielded from Pilibhit again, I will accept our party high command’s final decision”.