BJP fields Ravi Kishan in Gorakhpur, drops Kalraj

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday named seven more candidates for the Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh, fielding Bhojpuri film star Ravi Kishan from the Gorakhpur seat.

The BJP has denied ticket to Sant Kabir Nagar MP Sharad Tripathi who thrashed party MLA Rakesh Baghel with shoes at an official meeting in the district.

Sharad Tripathi has been replaced by Praveen Nishad, outgoing Gorakhpur MP, who recently quit the Samajwadi Party (SP) to join the BJP. However, Tripathi's father Ramapati Ram Tripathi has been fielded from Deoria, the seat represented by BJP veteran Kalraj Mishra.

Falling in line with the party decision not to field candidates above 75, Mishra announced that he would not contest the Lok Sabha polls.

Besides Mishra and Sharad Tripathi, the BJP has also dropped Ambedkar Nagar MP Hari Om Pandey. He has been replaced by Mukut Bihari, a minister in the UP government.

The party has fielded Ramesh Bind from the Bhadohi parliamentary constituency, the seat represented by Virendra Singh Mast. He has been shifted to Ballia.

The BJP's Central Election Committee also decided to field Sangal Lal Gupta from Pratapgarh. The BJP ally Apna Dal won this seat in 2014. The BJP has got this seat as per the agreement.

The party's Jaunpur MP K.P. Singh has retained his seat.

--IANS

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