BJP drops Brij Bhushan Singh in UP's Kaiserganj seat, fields his son

Six-term MP faces legal charges of sexually harassing women wrestlers when he led the Wrestling Federation of India

Lok Sabha elections 2024: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday replaced Kaiserganj MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh with his son, Karan Bhushan, after allegations of sexual harassment levied against the lawmaker.

Karan Bhushan, the younger son of Brij Bhushan, is the president of the Uttar Pradesh Wrestling Association. He is also the chairperson of a cooperative bank in Nawabganj, Gonda district.

 

The BJP’s decision to replace Brij Bhushan comes amid mounting pressure and controversy surrounding the six-term MP. Accusations of sexual harassment made by medal-winning wrestlers Sakshi Malik, Bajrang Punia and others sparked widespread protests and calls for legal action against the politician who served as the chief of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI).

Following intense scrutiny, the Delhi Police filed a case against Brij Bhushan under multiple sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) on June 15, 2023. He obtained bail on July 20, 2023, as allegations continued to cast a shadow over his political career.

Brij Bhushan operates numerous private educational institutions in Kaiserganj, Uttar Pradesh. His tenure as the president of the WFI spanned nearly a decade, adding to his longstanding influence in the domain.

The Kaiserganj Lok Sabha seat, where the electoral battle unfolds, is scheduled for voting on May 20 as part of the fifth phase of the Lok Sabha election. In the previous election, Brij Bhushan got 5,81,358 votes, while his opponents from the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and Congress garnered substantial support, setting the stage for a closely watched electoral contest this year.