BJP turncoat, MM Joshi loyalist to represent Congress in Allahabad

LUCKNOW: The Congress on Monday announced the candidature of Yogesh Shukla—a close aide of BJP veteran Murli Manohar Joshi—from Allahabad.
Shukla, whose name was announced with two others’, will take on BJP’s Rita Bahuguna Joshi, Congress turncoat and minister in the Yogi Adityanath cabinet. Joshi banks on the legacy of her father Hemvati Nandan Bahuguna and work done by BJP to transform Allahabad for Kumbh.
“Yogesh quit BJP and took primary membership of the Congress on Sunday morning. His name was announced thereafter,” said Allahabad zonal president for Congress Javaid Urfi.
Earlier, some workers had demanded that Priyanka Gandhi contests from the seat after she chose Allahabad to start her Ganga Yatra from.
“Allahabad could have been a natural choice for Priyanka Gandhi, which made all of us hopeful,” Urfi said, adding, “Yogesh Shukla is the party’s choice and we all are committed to do our best for him.”
This will be Shukla’s second Lok Sabha election from the Allahabad seat. He had contested on a BJP ticket in 2009 but finished third.
A native of Manda, a royal estate in Allahabad associated with former Prime Minister VP Singh, Shukla has been associated with a number of campaigns, especially on cleaning the Ganga, till he quietly quit the BJP.
“For quite some time, I had been feeling this is not the BJP I had been associated with for two and a half decades. I feel the party doesn’t need my services anymore, but what happened with Murli Manohar Joshiji was an eye opener.”
Shukla added that he was sure the people of Allahabad needed him. Admitting that his decision would irk a number of people in BJP, Shukla said: “I feel sorry for some of them, but my reason to be in politics—to serve the people—is bigger than my feelings and expectations of others. I approached the Congress with the same and they honoured my contribution to Sangam city.”
Congress also announced Dr Chandresh Upadhyay’s candidature from Domariganj. A locally popular medico associated with BJP, he quit the saffron party to join Congress on Sunday. Chandresh will take on sitting BJP MP and Congress turncoat Jagdambika Pal.
The party also replaced the candidate from Sant Kabir Nagar, Parvez Khan, with former Samajwadi Party MP Bhal Chandra Yadav.