Lok Sabha Election 2024: BJP Replaces Gurdaspur MP Sunny Deol With This Candidate

Lok Sabha Election 2024: Gurdaspur MP Sunny Deol has been replaced with Dinesh Singh 'Babbu' as BJP candidate after the actor last year ruled out attempting re-election, expressing that he is not suited for politics.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) announced its 8th list of Lok Sabha candidates on Saturday, featuring a key replacement. The party replaced Gurdaspur MP Sunny Deol with Dinesh Singh 'Babbu' as its candidate from the Gurdaspur constituency in Punjab. This comes as Sunny Deol last year ruled out attempting re-election, expressing that he is not suited for politics and prefers to focus on his acting career.

Dinesh Singh 'Babbu' is a former deputy speaker of Punjab Legislative Assembly and a three-time BJP MLA from Sujanpur constituency.

In an interview with Aaj Tak, Deol stated, "I don’t want to contest elections anymore. I will remain an actor and continue to serve the country like I have always done. I sincerely believe that what I can give to the youth of this country is by being a good actor and bringing out good projects."

Sunny Deol Faced Criticism Over Absence In Gurdaspur, Low Attendance In Lok Sabha

In December last year, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener Arvind Kejriwal criticised Gurdaspur MP Sunny Deol, accusing him of neglecting his constituency since his victory in 2019. Kejriwal, as reported by news agency ANI, remarked, "Last time, you all voted for Sunny Deol. Did he ever come here? He never came, so what was the benefit? We all thought that he was a big actor, and if we vote for him, he will do something. These big people are not going to do anything. Give your vote to 'Aam Aadmi', they will at least come to your use."

Deol's parliamentary attendance record raised questions regarding his commitment to his constituency.

Reports indicate that Gurdaspur-based Lok Sabha MP Sunny Deol did not attend a single day of the Parliament's monsoon session last year, continuing a trend of low attendance. Despite his lack of presence in the House, Deol had engaged in social media activities expressing support for the Centre's stance during the farmers' protest in Delhi against the three withdrawn agrarian laws.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Sunny Deol secured victory by a margin of 82,459 votes, defeating Sunil Jakhar who was then a Congress party candidate and is now the BJP's Punjab unit President.