The BJP has removed district presidents of Kasganj and Etah districts reportedly after the intervention of former chief minister Kalyan Singh. Kalyan Singh’s aides KP Singh Solanki and Surendra Prakash Gupta are learnt to have replaced the district presidents in Kasganj and Etah, respectively. Kalyan is Lok Sabha member from Etah, and three Assembly seats of Kasganj and two of Etah fall in Etah Lok Sabha constituency. He has announced to contest the next elections from Etah again. Kalyan returned to the BJP in January 2013 and his son Rajveer Singh was nominated as party state vice-president. Anil Pundir in Kasganj and Pankaj Gupta in Etah were elected when party’s state president Laxmikant Bajpai in 2013 revived the process of voting for election of presidents. Both Pundir and Gupta were elected unopposed more than a year ago. “The party sought my resignation around a week ago. I registered my protest with party state president Bajpaiji and UP in-charge Amit Shah, but they expressed helplessness. I have resigned from the post,” said Pundir. Pundir also said the party has appointed Solanki as new president under Kalyan Singh’s pressure. “Individualism would not be tolerated and party should run with an ideology. Several mandal presidents are unhappy with the party’s decision and they have decided to reign,” Pundir said. Pundir has been in the BJP for the last 13 years and was district coordinator of Kasganj for nearly a year before his election as district president. Pankaj Gupta also said that the party had sought his resignation and he followed the directive. “I tried to meet Amit Shah but failed to get an appointment,”Gupta said. Etah’s new president Surendra Prakash Gupta said: “I am district president because of the blessings of babuji( Kalyan Singh).” Meanwhile, Bajpai denied any role of Kalyan Singh in the changes. Sources said the party has entitled Kalyan to select candidates for the five Lok Sabha seats of Bulandshahr, Aligarh, Etah, Farrukhabad and Hathras.
