Bhopal: Bharatiya Janata Party leaders who tend to lambast Congress over dynastic politics have started singing a different tune justifying tickets to kin on merits.
Taking the lead, senior BJP leader Gopal Bhargava on Friday said, “If a farmer’s son engages in farming or an officer’s son chooses service or for that matter a businessman’s son chooses to be a trader then if the politician’s son is active in public life for almost 20 years then he should beg or fight polls.”
The leader of opposition in Madhya Pradesh assembly was replying to media queries on politicians’ kids seeking tickets in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.
Abhishek, son of Bhargava, uses the social media platform to be active in politics. He is also the vice president of Bharatiya Janata Party Yuva Morcha.
At the same time, former agriculture minister Gauri Shankar Bisen under Shivraj Singh Chouhan government was also seeking a ticket for his daughter Mausam Bisen from Balaghat constituency in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.
Besides his daughter, he also pitched tickets for sons and daughters on merit. “Whoever is an adult and has completed the age of 25 years and is affiliated to the party ideology is no less aspirant,” he said.
To justify his stance, the former minister claimed his daughter was a topper in school and Nagpur University from where she graduated in BE. He also said it was up to the party to decide whether to field her or not.
Speaking to media, BJP national general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya who had ensured a ticket for his son Akash from Indore-3, at the cost of his own ticket in assembly polls, said the party would decide on the ticket demands of politicians’ kids.
Nepotism was more rampant in BJP ahead of assembly polls last year.
Among the leader who fought for a ticket for their kin in the assembly elections last year, former chief minister Babulal Gaur had pitched for his daughter-in-law Krishna and Vijayvargiya did the same for his son Akash.
While senior BJP leader Gauri Shankar Shejwar ensured a ticket to son Mudit, Laxmi Narayan Yadav’s son Sudhir contested from Surkhi constituency. However, Sumitra Mahajan’s son Mandar and Narendra Singh Tomar’s son Devendra were denied tickets by the party.
Even though senior leader Raghavji’s request for a ticket to his daughter Jyoti Shah to contest in assembly election was declined, the former finance minister is now seeking a Lok Sabha ticket for his daughter.
It would be interesting to see how the party deals with the ticket demands for family members this time.
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