BJP Picks Former MLA Rajesh Mishra Who Passed Class 12th Last Year To Sidhi Constituency (Photo on Facebook Vipul Mishra)

As BJP announced the first list of candidates on Saturday, the party nominated Rajesh Kumar Mishra for Madhya Pradesh”s Sidhi constituency for the upcoming Lok Sabha election. Born in Bhartaul village of Uttar Pradesh Bareilly district, the former two-time MLA had represented the Bithari Chainpur seat of the Bareilly district assembly constituency till 2022.

With the 57-year-old getting his first ticket for the Lok Sabha, the BJP pins its hope on Mr Rajesh Mishra to retain its seat in Sidhi. BJP has been representing the Sidhi constituency since 2009, with Riti Pathak being the sitting MP from 2014 onwards. Before 2009, the seat has been switched between Congress and the BJP hands. Congress is yet to announce its candidate against the BJP in the constituency. In the 2019 general election, BJP’s Riti Pathak had polled 54 per cent votes against Congress candidates” 32 percent vote share.

Notably, the BJP’s candidate for the Sidhi seat Rajesh Kumar was in the news in 2023 for his plus two examination and its result. Being an ambitious politician, he had then said that he wanted to serve and connect with people better by advancing education.

Moreover, the BJP candidate has grabbed headlines for crime records too. He has been involved in several crimes, including poisoning with intent to heat, criminal intimidation to document forgery and cheating. The two-time BJP MLA was also in the news for threatening his daughter over elopement to marry her Dalit lover.

With the BJP picking him for the Madhya Pradesh Siddhi seat, Mr Rajesh Mishra, also known as Pappu Bhartaul said that he will try to live up to the expectations of the party. “I would like to thank the party’s senior leadership for their trust and support,” Rajesh Mishra was heard saying in a video shared by news agency PTI.