BJP may bench Brij Bhushan, Poonam Mahajan & Jamyang Namgyal

NEW DELHI: Three prominent BJP faces, including controversial Kaiserganj MP and former WFI president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, Mumbai North Central MP Poonam Mahajan and her Ladakh counterpart Jamyang Tsering Namgyal, are likely to be benched.
Party sources indicated that Singh's wife Ketki Devi Singh, who served as an MP from Gonda for two years (1996-98) could replace him as BJP nominee, although a final decision is on hold in view of the court order in the sexual assault case expected in the last week of the month.
Sources said although the former WFI president was adamant on contesting the polls again, he has been advised to pause his claim until a decision in the case lodged against him by woman wrestlers. Besides, sources argued, Ketki Devi's candidature would be seen as a boost to women leadership, one of the party's key poll planks.
A Delhi court last week deferred its order on framing of charges against Singh. Six women wrestlers have accused him of sexual harassment - an allegation he has denied vehemently.
The matter was deferred after Singh moved an application before the court seeking further probe into reports of his presence at the WFI office on September 7, 2022. He also said the prosecution's analysis of call detail records had shown that one incident of alleged sexual harassment took place on a day when he was not present in the country.
However, the chances of Mahajan and Namgyal seem bleaker as per party sources, who attributed the likely exclusion to their "non-performance" as MPs and "negative feedback" from their constituencies. Polling on all three seats is scheduled in the fifth phase on May 20, for which last date to file nominations is May 3.
Although the party has not disclosed Mahajan's replacement, some media reports suggested that senior advocate Ujjwal Nikam was among those being considered for the prestigious Mumbai North Central seat.
Historically, the constituency was considered a stronghold of Congress. Later, BJP ally Shiv Sena made its presence felt with its nominees Vidyadhar Gokhale (1989), Narayan Athawale (1996) and Manohar Joshi (1999)winning from here. In 2014, the Modi wave helped Mahajan win her first election from this constituency and retain the seat in 2019.