Denied ticket, Prez’s D-I-L goes independent
Deepa Kovind to contest for chairperson of Jhinjhak post after BJP denies ticket
It is an embarrassment that the BJP could have done without the on-going municipal elections in Uttar Pradesh.
The party is facing an embarrassing situation in Kanpur Dehat where a relative of President Ram Nath Kovind has announced her decision to contest the post of chairperson of Jhinjhak Nagar Palika as an independent candidate and against the official BJP candidate.
The relative is Deepa Kovind, wife of Pankaj Kovind, a nephew of the President. Deepa said that she had applied for a ticket from the BJP but was denied the same.
Another relative of the President — his sister-inlaw Vidyavati — has also applied for a ticket for the chairperson’s post but was denied the same. However, Vidyavati has decided not to contest the election now.
Deepa Kovind, on the other hand, has opened her election office in her house and all relative are helping her in the campaign.
“I am contesting the election on the strength of my supporters. I do not expect my father-in-law Ram Nath Kovind to support my campaign because his stature is way beyond these elections. I will ensure development of Jhinjhak if I win the elections”, she told reporters.
The BJP has fielded Sarojini Devi Kori for the chairperson’s post in Jhinjhak. Meanwhile, BJP leaders in Lucknow declined to comment on the issue.
THE PRESIDENT on Thursday lauded the progress made by Bihar in the field of agriculture and said the state could become the harbinger of “next green revolution” with better water management and advanced facilities. Bihar has won the Krishi Karman Award a number of times.