Karan Bhushan Singh, who has been announced as the BJP candidate from Gonda Lok Sabha seat in place of his father Brij Bhushan Singh, in Gonda, on Thursday.
Credit: PTI Photo
The BJP on Thursday named Karan Bhushan Singh from Kaiserganj Lok Sabha seat in Uttar Pradesh, dropping his father and former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) president Brij Bhushan Singh-- who faces sexual harassment allegations levelled by six women wrestlers.
This is first time the saffron camp has dropped its sitting MP from Kaiserganj, who has been winning the seat from 2009. By choosing his son, a political greenhorn, the party has tried to maintain a balancing act as Singh had refused to back down from the electoral contest and had even launched his election campaign in the constituency.
Who is Karan Bhushan Singh?
Born in 1990, Karan is the youngest son of Brij Bhushan Singh. He holds a law degree besides doing a business management course in Australia and is also a national-level double-trap shooter.
In February 2024, Karan was appointed as president of the Uttar Pradesh Wrestling Association, succeeding his father, who was the state body chief for 12 years. Earlier, Karan was the vice-president of the association for 8 years.
Following Karan's appointment, several athletes, including Olympic medallists Bajrang Punia and Sakshi Malik, opposed the move, claiming the government had promised that Brij Bhushan or his relatives or associates would not govern the sport.
Karan is also the chief of Cooperative Village Development Bank in Gonda.
Meanwhile, the BSP has fielded Narendra Pandey from Kaiserganj, the SP has not yet declared its candidate from the seat. Friday is the last day for filing nomination papers. The seat would go to polls on May 20 in the fifth phase of polling.