Congress leader in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Tuesday invited Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Varun Gandhi to join the grand old party, after the latter was denied Lok Sabha ticket from his constituency Pilibhit.
“He (Varun Gandhi) is a strong leader with a clean image, and he has a connection with the Gandhi family. This is why the BJP denied him (Lok Sabha poll) ticket. I think he should come (join Congress), we will be very happy,” PTI quoted the Congress leader as saying.
Varun Gandhi was replaced by Uttar Pradesh minister Jitin Prasada as the Lok Sabha candidate from Pilibhit, which he is currently representing. His mother Maneka, has been fielded from Sultanpur once again by the BJP.
Prasada, who was a minister twice in the Manmohan Singh-led Congress government and was considered one of Rahul Gandhi's top aides, had lost two Lok Sabha elections in 2014 and 2019. He joined the BJP two years ago and was elected to the UP Legislative council in 2021.
Gandhi, 44, had recently attacked his own government at the Centre over several issues. Even as suspense over ticket to him grew, the Samajwadi Party had sent feelers with Akhilesh Yadav hinting that the party's doors are open for him.
“Our doors are always open for everyone," the SP president had said.
Varun Gandhi, the son of Sanjay Gandhi, had first entered Lok Sabha in 2009 when he won from Pilibhit. In 2014, he contested the general election from Sultanpur while his mother Maneka was fielded from Pilibhit.
Last year, Rahul Gandhi was asked whether his cousin Varun will return to the Congress, to which the former party president had said that their ideologies don't match.
“He (Varun Gandhi) at some point, maybe even today, accepted that ideology and made it his own. I can never accept that thing. I can definitely meet him, hug him, but cannot accept that ideology. Impossible," Rahul Gandhi had said.