New Delhi: A group of Hindu sadhus from Gujarat met Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and BJP President Amit Shah. They reportedly demanded that sages and ascetics be given tickets by the BJP for the upcoming Assembly elections. The man they all seem to be rallying behind is Devnath Bapu, the Mahant of the Ekladham Temple in Kutch, who has sought a party ticket from the Rapar Assembly Constituency.
Devnath, who was UP CM Yogi Adityanath’s “Guru-Bhai” or co-devotee at the Nath Akhara, has claimed that he deserves a ticket from the Rapar seat by virtue of being a “loyal and committed worker” of the BJP.
“For the last 20 years, I have worked for the party and worked at strengthening the party’s roots in Kutch district. Of all the BJP leaders in the district, I believe I have the best chance of winning. I have a strong link with local people here in Rapar. I live here, spend all my time here and serve the people as much as I can. For all those reasons, I feel I deserve a ticket,” he told News18.
He, however, made clear that he wasn’t expecting a ticket “just because” he was a sadhu. “It is not just because I am a sadhu that I am asking for a ticket, although sadhus have contributed greatly to the growth of this country and the BJP and deserve representation. I am asking for this ticket because I have been a BJP worker for so many years and have proven myself loyal. This is not the first time I have asked for a ticket. In 2012 as well, I had requested the party to give me a ticket but for some reason, it did not work out,” he said.
Devnath also indicated that sitting BJP MLA from Rapar Pankaj Mehta, who won the 2014 Assembly bypoll from Rapar, was not very popular. “There are some party karyakartas in Rapar who are not happy with the sitting MLA of the region. Besides, he does not visit the area often. He lives in Bhuj, which is 150 kms away. On the other hand, I live in Rapar and spend all my time here.”
Comments
0 comment