New Delhi: Shalini Singh, daughter of former MP and former Wrestling Federation of India president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, and Aakanksha Sinh, daughter of former MP Sanjay Sinh, a member of the royal family in Amethi, are gaining popularity, particularly through their growing presence on social media and increased ground activities.
Shalini has been especially active in Uttar Pradesh’s Noida region, where she stays more often and has expressed interest in contesting the assembly polls from the Noida seat, saying in media interactions that she would be willing to enter the fray if circumstances favour her.
Within the family, BJP leader Brij Bhushan’s younger son Prateek is an MLA from Gonda, while his elder son Karan is an MP from Kaiserganj, showing the family’s continued political clout.
Aakanksha has been active on the ground in Amethi constituency alongside her mother Ameeta Singh. The family maintains that the people of Amethi will ultimately decide the candidate.
In her nukkad sabhas, Ameeta has also addressed their relative absence from the constituency in the past few years, attributing it to “political circumstances”. Sanjay Singh had switched from the Congress to the BJP in 2019.
With an eye on the 2027 Uttar Pradesh polls, both Brij Bhushan and Sanjay Singh are now said to be hoping that the party leadership will provide an opportunity for their daughters to formally enter electoral politics.
Priyanka Chaturvedi & Sanjay Raut at odds
Former Rajya Sabha MP and Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Priyanka Chaturvedi this week put up a post on X questioning those suggesting that India should have been on the negotiating table between the US and Iran. “Don’t get the criticism as it wasn’t our war,” she said.
It can be taken as a point of view of yet another politician whose party has been blow-hot-blow-cold on the various actions of the Modi government. However, what raised eyebrows was that her own party colleague on the same day questioned PM Narendra Modi for inaction while Pakistan mediated the ceasefire.
The same day as Chaturvedi’s post, Shiv Sena (UBT) Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Raut indirectly questioned the Modi government’s diplomacy by its lack of role in the conflict mediation.
In his own post on X, he said: “Pakistan has given a message of peace to the world by stopping the war between Iran and America. Why didn’t our Mahavishwaguru get this credit? Because Mahavishwaguru has no role.”
This is not the first time that the two leaders of the Shiv Sena (UBT) have been on opposing sides of the spectrum. There’s been considerable tension between the two since last month’s Rajya Sabha election.
The Maha Vikas Aghadi, comprising the Thackeray-led Shiv Sena, Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Congress, had numbers enough to get one Rajya Sabha MP elected. Chaturvedi was keen on retaining her seat, and also had the backing of senior leader Aaditya Thackeray. But Raut, since the beginning, was batting for that seat to go to veteran NCP leader Sharad Pawar, whose tenure was also expiring.
Ultimately, Raut got his way. Sources say that at a party meeting after the Rajya Sabha election, there were fireworks as Chaturvedi spelt out her discontent with Raut’s stand.
A silent prayer for K.C. Venugopal
There is a silent prayer on the lips of several Congress leaders in Tamil Nadu, which many of their party colleagues outside the state also endorse: make AICC (organisation) general secretary K.C. Venugopal the chief minister of Kerala.
It’s not because they think it would be in Kerala’s interest. It’s because they think it would be in the Congress’ interest. The chatter in internal WhatsApp groups in Tamil Nadu suggests that senior leaders want KC as CM so that his hold on senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi could weaken.
The message “Let us make KC the CM’ was being forwarded on many Congress group chats. The consternation stems from Venugopal’s apparent overbearing influence on ticket distribution and his decision to field his chosen candidates even in Tamil Nadu, which is not his home state. Rahul Gandhi’s backing of KC’s decisions, rather than deferring to local leaders, has embittered party members.
(Edited by Nida Fatima Siddiqui)
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