SS Ahluwalia dropped, BJP fields Raju Singh Bisht from Darjeeling

New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party on Monday denied a ticket to Union Minister SS Ahluwalia and has fielded Raju Singh Bisht from Darjeeling parliamentary constituency in West Bengal. Bisht is a Gorkha from Manipur and is a well-known philanthropist. As per media reports, BJP said it has the support of the Gorkha National Liberation Front and the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha.

It is to be noted that the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha’s Binay Tamang-led faction has ended its decade-long association with the BJP. The Bimal Gurung faction of the GJM, on the other hand, has announced its support for the BJP. The list also included two candidates for the Odisha Lok Sabha elections and nine for the state Assembly polls.

The party has fielded Kharbala Swain from Kandhamal while Prakash Mishra has been given the ticket to contest from the Cuttack parliamentary constituency. The BJP also dropped Avishek Singh, son of former Chhattisgarh chief minister Raman Singh from Rajnandgaon Lok Sabha seat.