Lok Sabha polls: No shadow of sex charges as son of ex-WFI chief enters poll akhara | India News

Hamare maalik, hamare bhagwan, mananiya saansad Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh ko janmdin ki shubhkamnayein’ — Nivedak, ‘saansad bhakt’ Samrat Gupta. (Heartfelt birthday wishes to our master, our god, honourable MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh — from a devotee, Samrat Gupta).
Thus reads a poster in Paska Bazaar area of Kaiserganj Lok Sabha constituency (see photo).The writing on the wall is clear enough to dispel any misgivings about the clout that the 67-year-old strongman, six-time MP wields in the Kaiserganj LS constituency comprising two assembly segments of Bahraich and three of Gonda.
The decision of a Delhi court to frame charges of sexual harassment against the former president of Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) — levelled by a group of women wrestlers following a long and bitter agitation — does not find echo among voters of Kaiserganj, which goes to polls on May 20.
After maintaining suspense for days over the candidature of Brij Bhushan from Kaiserganj, BJP on May 2 named his 33-year-old younger son Karan Bhushan Singh as its candidate for the seat.
A six-time MP (his wife Ketaki has also been elected MP once), Singh’s victory margin had gone up from about 80,000 votes in 2014 (against Vinod Kumar of SP) to 2.61 lakh votes in 2019 against Chandradev Ram Yadav of BSP.
Karan is determined to carry forward his father’s legacy. “Had ‘netaji’ (Brij Bhushan) been contesting, we would have been watching out for the final victory margin. But things could play out differently now that he is not directly in the picture,” says Ram Avtar Gautam, a farmer from Kuttupur village in Colonelganj assembly segment.
Of the five assembly segments in Kaiserganj Lok Sabha constituency, three (Katra Bazar, Colonelganj and Tarabganj) are situated in Bhushan’s home turf of Gonda, from where he won the LS election in 1991 and 1999. The remaining two assembly constituencies (Payagpur and Kaiserganj) fall in neighbouring Bahraich district.
Barring Kaiserganj, BJP won the remaining four assembly seats in the 2022 state elections.
However, what could have been a cakewalk for the Singh family has become tricky, with Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav fielding Bhagat Ram Mishra from the seat. Mishra, who is the elder brother of Shravasti zila panchayat president and former BJP MP from the same seat, Daddan Mishra, is getting support from fellow Brahmins who constitute a significant chunk in the constituency. He also claims to have a strong backing from the minority community.
While Karan might come out strong in the three seats of Gonda, a sizeable presence of both Brahmins and minorities in Bahraich may see Mishra posing a tough challenge for him. In fact, when BJP’s Daddan Mishra was elected unopposed as zila panchayat president in Shravasti in June 2021, Brij Bhushan was by his side.
As Bhagat Ram Mishra, sitting atop an open truck and followed by several SUVs in a cavalcade, waves at the crowd and heads towards Tarabganj, 70-year-old Shyam Lal Rawat, who retired as a subedar major from the army in 2001, remains unimpressed. “At least a dozen villages in Tarabganj have started getting electricity in the last five years. It happened under PM Modi’s leadership. I do not think challenging Brij Bhushan’s dominance in this region is easy. Moreover, the SP candidate is from Bahraich,” says Rawat, who hails from Kindhaura gram sabha.

BSP candidate Narendra Pandey (47) from Indiranagar in Lucknow is seen as an outsider and is believed to have a limited impact in the constituency. Apart from the three, Independent Arunima Pandey (48), is the only woman contender in the fray but she, too, is from Gomtinagar, Lucknow. As the stage is set for a direct contest between BJP and SP, the Singh family is spending 10-12 hours on the field with BJP members fanning out in different areas to reach out to maximum number of voters.
Madan Gopal Pandey (71) from Tulsiram Purwa village in Sisamau says: “Brij Bhushan and his family members are putting in a lot of effort. Obviously, they have anti-incumbency working against them.”
For Kalawati from Gaurwa Khurd village in Katra Bazar assembly segment, local candidates hardly matter. “It does not matter who the candidate is, I am going to support Modi and Yogi,” she says.
Nankau Sharma (57), a carpenter, says: “Netaji (Brij Bhushan) has the potential and capability to swing elections in five districts (Gonda, Bahraich, Balrampur, Shravasti and Ayodhya). Those who are undermining his strength will get a befitting reply in June.”
Sagheer Ahmed (67), a mason from Ahmednagar locality in Katra Bazar, echoes similar views. “Brij Bhushan is very influential.” Giving perspective, Ahmed says Singh’s elder son Prateek Bhushan (36) was also elected MLA from Gonda twice. “He will leave no stone unturned to ensure the victory of the younger son as well,” he says.