Finally, Varun to campaign for BJP

Lok Sabha MP Varun Gandhi, who is out of favour in the present Narendra Modi-Amit Shah dispensation, has been accommodated in the second list of star BJP campaigners for the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, beginning February 11. Besides Varun, Vinay Katiyar and Murli Manohar Joshi too found a place in the list of campaigners for the third and fourth phases of the polls, scheduled between February 19 and 23. They were excluded from the first list of the BJP’s 40 star campaigners submitted by the party to the Election Commission.

Instead, the party had taken on board Varun’s mother Maneka Gandhi, who is a Union minister and an MP from Pilibhit. She has, however, been dropped in the fresh list. The party seems to have opted for Varun as the Sultanpur parliamentary seat he represents in the Lok Sabha has four Assembly segments, which will go to polls in the fifth phase.

The party would not like to send a message that Varun, Katiyar and veteran Joshi are not wanted for canvassing even in their own pocket boroughs, a BJP source said. Varun had been sulking since he was ignored by the party in the polls. His tweets, interestingly, don’t refer to polls in his own state. The only tweet on Thursday was on poetry.

The party may add more local leaders for the last two phases. A BJP leader said barring senior leaders, others are included in the campaign team keeping in mind their relevance in particular poll phases.