UP civic polls 2023: Ex-dy CM Sharma busy placating those disgruntled at denied ticket in Lucknow
Former Uttar Pradesh deputy CM Dinesh Sharma is trying to calm disgruntled BJP workers who were denied tickets for the upcoming civic polls in the state capital. Sharma is contacting rebels and those who oppose party candidates secretly, persuading them to withdraw nominations. He has succeeded in persuading at least five party workers to withdraw nominations against official BJP candidates. Sharma also convinced several corporators to campaign for the party as they were angry with it. However, some women party leaders have reached the state headquarters, alleging discrimination in ticket distribution.
Former Uttar Pradesh deputy chief minister Dr Dinesh Sharma, who also served as mayor of Lucknow for two consecutive terms in the past, is busy these days placating disgruntled BJP workers who have been denied party ticket for the upcoming civic polls from different wards of the state capital.
Admitting that there is some resentment, Sharma sounds confident of containing it. Besides persuading some rebels, he is also contacting those, who have not filed nominations but are opposing party candidate clandestinely, over the phone.
On Thursday, the former deputy CM received information about several corporators not campaigning for the party as they were angry with it. He immediately contacted and convinced them.
“I called senior leader Ram Gopal Jaiswal who had filed his papers against the official BJP candidate but after my request, he withdrew his nomination. Besides him, I have been successful in persuading at least five party workers to withdraw the nominations against the official BJP candidates,” he said.
Dilip Srivastava, the outgoing BJP corporator from Indira Nagar ward, also claims there is discontent among the workers regarding the ticket distribution. “I have refused to take back my nomination because it’s the fight between a real BJP face and an imported candidate who has a shady background. I was denied ticket just because of a former minister and now an MLA had personal interest in supporting that candidate,” Srivastava claimed.
He admitted that he was called by Dinesh Sharma for taking back my nomination. He said, “I win or lose, I will remain in the BJP.” Former deputy mayor and BJP corporator from Jai Shankar Prasad ward Suresh Chandra has filed his nomination after being denied the ticket. In the past too, he had also won as an independent against the party candidate but joined the BJP again.
He said, “I will not allow anyone to snatch my rights. I have worked hard for years in my ward and I am confident of my victory. If they have selected a wrong candidate, it’s their problem. But I will always remain a BJP man.”
Ganesh Shankar, who was denied ticket from Yadunath Sanyal Nazarbagh ward, was also persuaded by Sharma to campaign for official party candidate Vinod Singhal as he is facing a tough fight from Kamran Beg of the Samajwadi Party.
Similarly, tickets were also denied to Rupali Gupta of Bhartendu Harishchandra ward and Khushboo Rakhi Mishra of Jankipuram second ward. However, the former deputy CM convinced them too to withdraw their papers.
Sharma also succeeded in persuading Anurag Pandey, who was a corporator from Malahi Tola ward, and Kumkum Rajput, the outgoing corporator of Ayodhya Das II ward, to work for the party candidate.
However, a number of women party leaders reached the state headquarters on Thursday, alleging discrimination in ticket distribution for urban local body polls this time.
