BJP leaders Varun Gandhi and his mother Maneka Gandhi did not attend the rally of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Pilibhit, Uttar Pradesh, despite the two holding the Lok Sabha seat interchangeably since 1996.
The BJP denied ticket to sitting Lok Sabha member from the seat Varun Gandhi and fielded Jitin Prasad, who is the Public Works Minister in the U.P. government.
Mr. Gandhi has been vocal against his own government several times on issues such as inflation, unemployment, and farmers’ woes.