The BJP has cancelled the ticket it had previously given to Sangeeta Sengar, wife of former MLA and Unnao rape convict Kuldeep Singh Sengar, the party’s Uttar Pradesh unit chief Swatantra Dev Singh announced on Sunday, 11 April.
The BJP had made Sangeeta a candidate for the district panchayat member from Ward No 22 of Fatehpur Chaurasi, announced in list released on 9 April. She had won the Zila panchayat chairperson election in 2016.
Sengar was sentenced to life in prison by a Delhi court on 20 December 2019 for raping a 17-year-old girl in Uttar Pradesh's Unnao. Sengar was disqualified as the member of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly last year in February. He is presently lodged in Tihar jail.
His wife, Sangeeta had earlier held the post of the district panchayat chairperson.
Reactions to Sangeeta’s Candidature
Reacting to her candidature, Samajwadi Party chief spokesman Rajendra Chowdhury had accused the BJP of adopting double standards.
"On one hand, it talks about eliminating criminals and on the other, it glorifies them. In the BJP regime, crime cannot be controlled," he said, according to IANS.
When asked, BJP spokesperson Harishchandra Shrivastava had stated that the names of all candidates were recommended by the district unit and were forwarded to the party headquarters through the regional unit.
State BJP Chief Approved Candidature
According to the IANS report, party sources had earlier said that Sangeeta’s candidature was approved by Singh as well as state general secretary (organisation) Sunil Bansal.
Sangeeta had reportedly been made the candidate keeping in mind the influence that her family wields in the area and the sympathy that they have earned after Sengar’s arrest in April 2018.
Many still believe that he is innocent and has been framed by political rivals.
(With inputs from IANS.)
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