BJP drops Brij Bhushan from Kaiserganj amid sexual harassment allegations
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has nominated Karan Bhushan Singh as its Lok Sabha candidate for Kaiserganj, replacing his father, Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. Karan is the president of the Uttar Pradesh Wrestling Association. He is also the chairman of the Cooperative Bank in Nawabganj, Gonda district. The 17th list for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections also saw Dinesh Pratap Singh renominated from Rae Bareli, the Gandhi family bastion.
Why does this story matter?
The decision came amid much suspense, as Bhushan was accused of sexual harassment by multiple women wrestlers. Many female wrestlers, including Bajrang Punia, Vinesh Phogat and Sakshee Malikkh, protested against Bhushan for months in 2023, calling for his arrest over the sexual harassment accusations during his tenure as president of the Wrestling Federation of India. The case against the sitting Kaiserganj MP is pending before a Delhi court.
Bhushan denies the allegations
Bhushan has denied the allegations leveled against him. Last month, he blamed the media for the delay in announcing the party's Kaiserganj candidate, saying, "You (media) people need not worry. The announcement of my candidature is getting delayed because of you people." Kaiserganj will vote on May 20 in the fifth phase of the Lok Sabha election. In the 2019 election, Bhushan secured 5,81,358 votes, defeating Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) candidate Chandradev Ram Yadav and Congress candidate Vinay Kumar Pandey.
Who is Karan Bhushan Singh
Karan is the younger son of Bhushan, who has won the Kaiserganj seat three times. Karan was born on December 13, 1990, and graduated from Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Avadh University with a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) and a law degree. He also holds a diploma in business management, which he completed in Australia.
