Ramesh Bidhuri to be replaced? Unease in BJP ahead of Delhi election: Report
Bharatiya Janata Party leader Ramesh Bidhuri’s recent controversial remarks about Delhi chief minister Atishi and Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra have sparked a backlash, leading to discussions within the party about replacing him with a woman candidate for the upcoming assembly election.
Following his remarks, there have been at least two organisational meetings discussing the possibility of either “shifting or cancelling” the candidature of the South Delhi-based Gujjar strongman, a two-time Lok Sabha MP and three-time MLA, as reported by The Indian Express, citing party insiders.
“Not just against Atishi, Rameshji’s statement on Priyanka Gandhi Vadra led to his being reprimanded by Naddaji within minutes,” a BJP source was quoted as saying in the report.
Quoting more sources, the report added that several potential women replacements for Bidhuri were discussed as part of the way forward, though these talks are still in the preliminary stages.
The former MP was given a ticket on Saturday to contest against Atishi from her home turf of Kalkaji in the February 5 assembly election.
The next day, his comments on Atishi and Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra sparked backlash.
While discussing the condition of roads in Kalkaji, Bidhuri remarked, “Just as we improved roads in Okhla and Sangam Vihar, we will make all roads in Kalkaji as smooth as Priyanka Gandhi’s cheeks.”
Bidhuri then targeted Atishi, commenting on her decision to drop the surname Marlena and use Singh instead. He said, “Marlena has become Singh. She changed her father.”
The AAP leader had dropped her surname in 2018. Her father is Vijay Singh, a former Delhi University teacher.
Less than two years ago, Ramesh Bidhuri made controversial remarks about former Bahujan Samaj Party MP Danish Ali in the Lok Sabha.
His comments about Ali, who later joined Congress, during a debate on Chandrayaan-3 in the inaugural special session of the new Parliament building in September 2023, reportedly cost him not only a ticket in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections but also a potential spot in the Union Cabinet.