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Stage set: Rajnath, Kishore file nominations
The defence minister led a procession of party workers from the state BJP headquarters in Lucknow’s Hazratganj to the Collectorate.
LUCKNOW Union defence minister and senior BJP leader Rajnath Singh on Monday filed his nomination papers from the Lucknow seat, seeking a third consecutive term from the prestigious Lok Sabha constituency that goes to polls in the fifth phase on May 20. Central minister Kaushal Kishore also filed his papers from the Mohanlalganj constituency.
Rajnath Singh led a procession of party workers from the state BJP headquarters in Hazratganj to the Collectorate in Lucknow.
Accompanied by UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath and his Uttarakhand counterpart Pushkar Singh Dhami, the defence minister reached the collectorate for filing nomination paper, which was done in the presence of district election officer Surya Pal Gangwar.
Rajnath Singh’s nomination was officially proposed by three prominent citizens - Gurmeet Singh, president of Yahiyaganj Gurudwara, Ashok Kumar Srivastava, founder of Divine Hospital (Vineet Khand) and LP Mishra, advocate from Nirala Nagar.
“He is a true representative of former Prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee... our support to him indicates the support of the community,” said Gurmeet Singh.
Before the road show began, Rajnath Singh met chief minister Yogi Adityanath, deputy chief ministers Brajesh Pathak and Keshav Maurya, Member of Parliament and Union minister Kaushal Kishore, and Uttarakhand chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami at the BJP office in the morning.
Prior to filing his nomination papers, Rajnath visited the Hanuman Setu temple in Lucknow to seek blessings for victory in the upcoming elections.
YOGI’S JIBE AT RAHUL
The event also had its share of political jabs. CM Yogi Adityanath took a swipe at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, questioning his understanding of Indian history. He said, “Those who call themselves accidental Hindus shouldn’t be lecturing on Indian history. It’s absurd for someone who doesn’t know the history and geography of India to make such comments.”
