New Delhi: The BJP on Monday announced its decision to field Bhojpuri actor Ravi Kishan from the high-profile Gorakhpur Lok Sabha seat.
Kishan had contested the Lok Sabha polls from Jaunpur on a Congress ticket but managed to secure only over four per cent votes. He switched loyalties to the BJP in 2017 and recently dedicated a song, “Tu jeet ke liye bana“, to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“The BJP is a favourite of everyone and anyone can win elections from anywhere in the BJP,” Kishan had told ANI in March this year.
Gorakhpur will vote on May 19 for general elections this time. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had won from Gorakhpur Lok Sabha seat for five elections in a row. After he became Chief Minister, the seat was won by the then Samajwadi Party’s Praveen Nishad in by-elections held last year.
For the upcoming elections, Nishad, who switched camps to the BJP on April 4, is being fielded from Sant Kabir Nagar. Among other candidates announced by the BJP from Uttar Pradesh for phases six and seven are KP Singh from Jaunpur, Ramapati Ram Tripath from Deoria, Ramesh Bind from Bhadohi, Mukut Bihari from Ambedkar Nagar and Sangam Lala Gupta from Pratapgarh.
The BJP has fielded actors from various constituencies, especially in Uttar Pradesh. While Hema Malini is looking to get re-elected from Mathura, Jaya Prada has been fielded from Rampur against the SP’s Azam Khan. Manoj Tiwari is already in the party’s fold since 2013.
Bhojpuri actor Dinesh ‘Nirahua’ Yadav also joined the BJP last month and is likely to contest the upcoming polls. “I am joining the BJP and will work as per their directive. The party will decide my fate,” he had told News18.
