Rajputs to boycott BJP candidates in 3 UP seats

The Rajputs here held a 'mahapanchayat' and decided to boycott the Bharatiya Janata Party candidates in Muzaffarnagar, Kairana and Saharanpur Lok Sabha constituencies for allegedly neglecting the community while distributing party tickets, a leader said on Wednesday.

The 'mahapanchayat' was called on Tuesday in the Kheda area by Thakur Pooran Singh, the national president of Kisan Mazdoor Sangathan and a prominent Rajput leader in the area.

It was attended by the Chaubisa Rajput Community spread across Muzaffarnagar constituency and other Rajput communities from nearby districts.

"The boycott is being done as a sign of protest for insulting the Rajput Community by neglecting it in ticket distribution which has been done by the Bharatiya Janata Party," Singh said.

"People of the Rajput community in these areas will not vote for the BJP candidate but will opt for another strong contender from other parties in his place," he said.

The first phase of polling in Uttar Pradesh will be held on April 19.

The BJP has fielded Sanjeev Balyan from Muzaffarnagar and Pradeep Chaudhary from Kairana Lok Sabha seats.

Both Balyan and Chudhary come from the Jat community and are sitting MPs. In Saharanpur, the BJP has fielded Raghav Lakhanpal Sharma.

The 'mahapanchayat' claimed that decisions taken by them will become the reason for the downfall of the BJP in Western UP.