BJP is facing rebellion in western region which will go to poll first

Agra: Bhartiya Janata Party leaders and workers in this western part of Uttar Pradesh are up in arms against the party leadership for giving more preference to defectors from other parties like the Samajwadi Party who had joined the saffron brigade on the eve of the poll in the state.

Resentment is so much in some parts of the region which will go to the poll in the first of the seven-phase election on February 11 that in a few constituencies old party leaders may contest as independents, damaging party prospects in the area.

While some of them have expressed their anger openly by burning effigies of some senior party leaders, some others have not come out in the open but have already begun murmuring about the “wrong selection" of candidates.

The main opposition is to selection of candidates for six rural and one urban constituency in the region. One of them is Bah seat which has been offered to wife of Aridaman Singh who had defected from the SP sometime ago.

Similarly, temper has run high for offering Agra rural seat to another SP defector. Two former members of parliament of the party had expressed desire to contest from this seat.

Kheragarh seat is also a bone of contention. The seat has been allotted to Mahesh Goel who belongs to Vaishya caste because of sizable Vaishya population in the constituency. This has upset the upper caste members of the party. Amar Singh Parmar who was one of the ticket seekers has taken it to heart and threatened to contest as an independent, opposing the official nominee.

Fatehpur Sikri, Fatehabad and Agra Cantt are the other disputed constituencies. Fatehabad seat has been given to Jitendra Verma who has joined the BJP after deserting the SP.

Also read: Decision on alliance and candidate list within three days: Akhilesh