BJP fields Rajnath's son for UP election

The Bharatiya Janata Party, a strong opponent of dynastic politics, on Wednesday fielded its chief Rajnath Singh's son for the upcoming Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh.

The BJP's central election committee gave a ticket to Pankaj Singh to contest the polls from Cherae village in Chandoli district of Rajnath's home state as it finalised more than 300 candidates.

Last month, the BJP fielded Yashodhra Raje, the sister of Rajastan Chief Minister Vasundare Raje for a by-election in Gwalior. It named its Vidisha MP as its candidate for an Assembly by-poll in Madhya Pradesh.

The BJP re-nominated all its sitting MLAs, barring defectors, for the assembly elections in the key state of Uttar Pradesh. The party's chief ministerial candidate, Kalyan Singh, however, will not contest the polls.

State BJP leaders Kesrinath Tripathi and Lalji Tandon were among the prominent leaders in the list of candidates declared so far.

BJP sources said the party will give some 50 seats to its allies Apna Dal and the Janata Dal-United as part of an electoral understanding.

The BJP has tied up with the Apna Dal, which has a support base in the state's Kurmi community, in a bid to win OBC votes for the alliance.

Pankaj later said he would rather work for the party before joining electoral politics.

"I welcome the party's decision and am thankful to the party for this honour. But I would like to work for the organisation first before joining electoral politics," he told PTI after the BJP's central election committee's decision.