Lucknow, September 06: Bickering within BJP”s state unit has come to the fore with some Senior leaders offering to quit in protest against the party”s decision of giving ticket to an “outsider” for the bypoll of Lucknow (west) assembly seat. “Agitated after denial of ticket to Ashutosh Tandon alias Gopalji, son of local MP Lalji Tandon, some senior leaders including office bearers of city unit have offered their resignation,” party sources said.
The entire city unit led by its president Pradeep Bhargava has already dispatched its resignation to BJP state president Ramapati Ram Tripathi yesterday, the sources said. BJP on Friday announced Amit Puri as its candidate from Lucknow (west) assembly seat which fell vacant after senior party leader and sitting MLA Lalji Tandon was elected to the Lok Sabha in May.
Other than Gopalji, nearly a dozen leaders including ex-MLA Ram Kumar Shukla and former deputy mayor Abhay Seth were in the fray for party ticket. The faction opposing Puri”s candidature alleged that the party was ignoring dedicated workers for the sake of outsiders.
“In 2002 Puri contested as a rebel candidate against BJP”s Vidya Sagar Gupta from Lucknow east seat,” they said.
—PTI–