No Gandhi in Pilibhit fray this time

With the deadline for filing nominations having ended on Wednesday, it is now clear that BJP’s Varun Gandhi will not contest as an Independent on Pilibhit seat, which has been won by his mother Maneka Gandhi or him continuously since 1996. But this time, the BJP has fielded sitting MLA and UP Cabinet minister Jitin Prasad on this seat.

In Pilibhit, which will also go to the polls in this phase, the equations have changed as no member of the Gandhi family is contesting this time either as an Independent nor a candidate of any party. The BSP has fielded a Muslim candidate, Anis Ahmad Khan, on this seat, while the Samajwadi Party is banking on veteran leader Bhagwat Saran Gangwar.