Will Varun Gandhi be the victim of BJP's 'one family-one ticket' formula?

New Delhi: With the Bharatiya Janata Party contemplating the implementation of the "one family-one ticket" formula in the ticket distribution for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, the mother-son duo of Maneka and Varun Gandhi may face difficulties regarding securing their respective tickets.

Party sources pointed out that Maneka and Varun were the only examples in the entire country of a mother and son becoming Lok Sabha MPs from the BJP. It is understood that if the saffron party strictly implements the one family-one ticket formula, Varun's name may be removed from the probable saffron contestants in the forthcoming general elections.

It is understood that Varun had called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi a few days ago in a last-ditch attempt to mend fences. A decision on his future is expected to be taken soon and the BJP has not entirely closed the doors on him, sources said.

Pilibhit is considered a stronghold of the Maneka Gandhi family. The MP from Sultanpur won her first election from Pilibhit in 1989 on Janata Dal’s ticket and has represented the constituency six times. In 2019, she had left the seat for her son Varun, who is the sitting MP from the seat.

Sources stated that Varun, son of Maneka and Sanjay Gandhi, may well have ruined the possibility of a recovery of his political future by constantly targeting the PM Modi-led government over various issues.

Over the past couple of years, Varun has repeatedly, publicly raised questions on the policies of the BJP government. In such a situation, speculation is rife that he might not get the ticket from the saffron unit.

Will the INDIA alliance back Varun in case of ticket denial by BJP?

In a major move, the INDIA bloc is contemplating backing senior leader Varun Gandhi in case the BJP decides to deny ticket to the Pilibhit MP for the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls.

Sources stated that the INDIA bloc leadership is considering the option as murmurs emerge of a possible denial of the ticket by the saffron unit to Varun. Speculation is rife that in a situation of denial of ticket by the BJP, Varun would have no qualms in allying with the INDIA bloc to save the family’s political citadel.

It is understood that the opposition may leave the Pilibhit seat for Varun in case the above-mentioned scenario takes place. “The final option would be with Varun on whether he wants to fight as an independent or on any party’s symbol,” sources said.

Uttar Pradesh has been electing the largest number of BJP MPs to the Lok Sabha in 2014 and 2019. And the saffron party is hoping for a similar strong show in 2024. The INDIA bloc knows that a united and strong show by the opposition is necessary to regain power at the Centre.

With Prime Minister Narendra Modi set to seek a third term in 2024, the importance of Uttar Pradesh in the BJP's political numbers game has increased immensely as the fight for each and every seat has become important in the BJP’s quest for the targeted number of 370 Lok Sabha seats.