Kaiserganj: Aiming At Brij Bhushan Singh's Political Clout

Though former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) president and sitting MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh is not in the Kaiserganj poll fray this time, he was quite active on the campaign trails – seeking votes for his son and BJP candidate Karan Bhushan Singh. It was after much deliberation and speculations, BJP declared Karan Bhushan Singh’s candidacy from Kaiserganj so as to avoid disruptions and disagreements that could arise from Brij Bhushan’s political clout. Brij Bhushan was denied Kaiserganj ticket in the aftermath of sexual harassment allegations levelled against him by several women wrestlers.

Kaiserganj Lok Sabha election mark Karan Bhushan Singh‘s debut in the electoral politics. He, currently helms Uttar Pradesh Wrestling Association. He has served as the Vice President of the Wrestling Association for eight years. Karan Bhushan is also the chief of Cooperative Village Development Bank in Gonda.

Soon after BJP announced Karan Bhushan Singh’s candidacy, SP declared Ram Bhagat Mishra as their nominee from Kaiserganj. At first, Mishra associated with Congress but left them to join the saffron party. In 2023, he left BJP and joined SP.

When Mishra’s candidacy announced, local leaders approached SP leadership and expressed displeasure in fielding an outsider. The issue got resolved when SP leadership pacified the agitated leaders and asked them to support Ram Bhagat Mishra.

Meanwhile, the BSP has fielded Narendra Pandey for the Kaiserganj Lok Sabha seat.

Kaiserganj Lok Sabha constituency comprises five assembly segments seats, including Payagpur, Kaiserganj, Katra Bazar, Colonelganj and Tarabganj. The Lok Sabha constituency is dominated by the backward and Brahmin communities. Over the past three decades, Kaiserganj continued as a region of fierce battle between SP and the BJP.

In 2009 Lok Sabha polls, Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh secured victory in the Kaiserganj seat for the first time in a SP ticket. In 2014 polls, he retained the seat on a BJP ticket and defeated the SP candidate Vinod Kumar Alias Pandit Singh by a margin of 78218 votes. In the 2019 polls, Brij Bhushan won the seat for a third consecutive term by defeating BSP’s Chandradev Ram Yadav by 261601 votes.