Lok Sabha Elections 2024: BJP asked me to withdraw in Indore, says former RSS man

Indore: Former Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh 'pracharak' Abhay Jain on Monday said some BJP leaders had requested him to withdraw his candidature from Indore Lok Sabha seat in Madhya Pradesh, a claim dismissed by the ruling party as 'fictional' and 'publicity driven'.

Incidentally, Jain had contested the 2023 assembly polls from Indore-1 against BJP heavyweight (and eventual winner) Kailash Vijayvargiya and had lost his deposit.

Jain is contesting the Lok Sabha poll as an independent since his Janhit Party, an umbrella body of former RSS pracharaks, is yet to get recognition from the Election Commission.

Addressing media at Indore Press Club, Jain, who claimed he was contesting the elections to free Indore of drugs and politics of 'money and muscle power', said four BJP leaders had come to meet him at his residence late night on April 27.

"Citing old Sangh relations, they said they did not like seeing me contest polls and urged me to work in my old role as pracharak. Those who came to see me included Vijayvargiya, local MLA Ramesh Mendola, BJP's city unit president Gaurav Randive and another party leader Nanuram Kumawat," he claimed.

Jain said he declined the request and asked them if politics and contesting polls was bad and whether there was something wrong with his party's issues and style of functioning.

Meanwhile, state BJP spokesperson Govind Malu said, "Jain is indulging in fictional talks just to stay in the limelight and gain publicity. He is not such a challenging candidate for us that we have to meet him and ask him to withdraw his nomination."