Former Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) 'pracharak' Abhay Jain asserted on Monday that certain BJP leaders had approached him to withdraw his candidacy from the Indore Lok Sabha seat in Madhya Pradesh. However, the ruling party dismissed these claims as "fictitious" and "publicity-driven." Interestingly, Jain had contested the 2023 assembly polls from Indore-1 against BJP heavyweight Kailash Vijayvargiya, who emerged victorious, causing Jain to forfeit his deposit.
According to news agency PTI, Jain, running as an independent in the Lok Sabha election, as his Janhit Party, an amalgamation of former RSS pracharaks, is yet to gain recognition from the Election Commission.
Abhay Jain Claims And BJP's Dismissal
Speaking to the media at the Indore Press Club, Jain declared that he was running for office to rid Indore of drugs and remove "money and muscle power" politics from the city. He also claimed that four BJP leaders had visited him late on April 27 at his home.
"Citing old Sangh relations, they said they did not like seeing me contest polls and urged me to work in my old role as pracharak. Those who came to see me included Vijayvargiya, local MLA Ramesh Mendola, BJP's city unit president Gaurav Randive, and another party leader Nanuram Kumawat," he highlighted, as quoted by PTI.
Jain said that he turned down the request and questioned them about the ethics of politics and poll-takers, as well as the problems with his party's platform and methods of operation.
Meanwhile, state BJP spokesperson Govind Malu responded to his allegation against BJP leaders, saying, "Jain is indulging in fictional talks just to stay in the limelight and gain publicity. He is not such a challenging candidate for us that we have to meet him and ask him to withdraw his nomination," PTI reported.