Greater Noida: Rahul’s Bhatta Parsaul aide files nomination on BJP ticket
Dhirendra Singh filed his nomination for Jewar on a BJP ticket after quitting the Congress earlier this month
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Dhirendra Singh on Monday filed his nomination for the Jewar assembly constituency. In 2012, Singh was defeated by Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) candidate Vedram Bhati when he fought the elections as a Congress candidate.
Singh had gained prominence during the farmers’ agitation in Bhatta Parsaul when Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi rode pillion on his bike to reach the village. His proximity to Gandhi had increased his importance in Jewar and in the party. However, he quit the Congress earlier this month saying he was upset with the party’s way of functioning and joined the BJP on January 8.
On Monday, he was accompanied by Union minister of state for culture and Gautam Budh Nagar MP Dr Mahesh Sharma. Later, Sharma also inaugurated the BJP office at Shri Parshuram Dharamshala in Jewar.
Speaking on his nomination, Singh called the BSP and the Samajwadi Party (SP) opportunists. “The BSP and SP have only worked to fill their coffers rather than for the development of the state. They have only used power and position for their own benefit,” he said, adding that he will always work in the interest of the people of his constituency.
Meanwhile, SP candidate for Noida assembly seat, Sunil Choudhary, also filed his nomination papers on Monday. He was accompanied by Surendra Nagar, the party’s Rajya Sabha MP.
Choudhary had contested the 2012 assembly election from the same seat and had come in third in the race with 42,071 votes. BJP’s Dr Sharma had emerged the winner with a total of 77,319 votes. BSP candidate Om Dutt Sharma had come in third and Congress candidate Dr VS Chauhan fourth.
The Gautam Budh Nagar district has three assembly constituencies – Dadri, Jewar and Noida – for which a total of 17 nominations were filed on Monday. These include seven for Noida seat and five each for Dadri and Jewar seats.
Apart from SP’s Choudhary, no major party candidate filed his or her nomination for Noida on Monday. The ones who did were Vimlesh Sharma (independent), Abhey Kumar Singh (Sarvodya Bharat), Vikram Singh (Bhartiya Subhash Party), Parvesh Chauhan (Rashtravadi Pratap Sena), Krishan Kant Singh (Jan Adhikar Manch) and Madhu Attri (Rashtriya Janata Party).
For Jewar, besides BJP’s Singh, the two other prominent candidates were Narinder Kumar (SP) and Kamal Sharma (Rashtriya Lok Dal). Others who filed nomination on Monday were Vinod (Republican Sena) and Vinod Sharma (Rashtriya Kisan Mazdoor Party).
No major party filed their candidates on Monday for Dadri either. The five nominations filed were of Sanjay Kumar (Shiv Sena), Raj Kumar (Rashtriya Janhit Sangarsh Party), Sonu (Apni Zindagi Apna Dal), Mahkar Singh (independent) and Ajit Singh (Poorvanchal Maha Panchayat).