After a long wait of six years, Dr Laxmikant Bajpai has been nominated for Rajya Sabha by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday.
Dr Bajpai, a senior BJP leader, had been sidelined in mainstream politics for the past six years. The party’s decision to send him to Rajya Sabha is being seen as a move to please Brahmin voters ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Ahead of the 2022 Uttar Pradesh assembly elections, Bajpai was made in charge of the joining committee.
Bajpai has remained the BJP state president from 2012 to 2016. It was under him that BJP, during the 2014 general elections, registered a landslide victory, winning 71 out of 75 seats of Lok Sabha. He is also a prominent face of Brahmin leadership in Western UP and everybody expected that he would be given some vital responsibility by the party or government, but was instead sidelined.
He suffered another jolt when he lost his traditional Meerut City seat in the 2017 Assembly elections. Vajpayee, thereafter, refused to contest the 2022 Assembly elections.
Political analyst Jamshed Zaidi said that Bajpai is a senior leader of the BJP and has an image of being an honest and upright leader. The party ignored him for years, but he gracefully passed these years without blaming the party and leaders. He did well as the in-charge of the joining committee ahead of the U.P. assembly polls this year.
“He has received the award for his loyalty and capabilities,” said Zaidi, who believes that Bajpai would also emerge as a potential Brahmin face for the BJP, especially in western UP.
{{/usCountry}}“He has received the award for his loyalty and capabilities,” said Zaidi, who believes that Bajpai would also emerge as a potential Brahmin face for the BJP, especially in western UP.
{{/usCountry}}A senior leader in BJP, on the condition of anonymity, said that the party inducted Dharmendra Bhardwaj as MLC from Western UP but he can’t be compared with the capabilities and seniority of Bajpai among Brahmins. “The decision to send him to Rajya Sabha would further help the party strengthen its roots among Brahmins”, he said.
Bajpai started his political journey as president of Yuva Morcha city unit in 1977. He was general secretary of the city unit of BJP between 1980 and 1989 and also served as vice-president of the state unit of Yuva Morcha.
He represented Meerut City constituency in the state assembly in 1986, 1996, 2002 and 2012. He was a member of different committees and served as acting president of Vidhan Sabha Library from 2000 to 2001.
The party had earlier sent Vijay Tomar and Kanta Kardam to Rajya Sabha from Meerut. A political analyst said that they were expecting his nomination much before, and now three leaders of Meerut will represent the region in Rajya Sabha.