LS polls: Rajnath seeking third term from Lucknow seat, files nomination papers

Rajnath Singh, a union minister and prominent BJP leader, filed his nomination papers for the Lucknow Lok Sabha seat on Monday, seeking a third term. The Union Defence Minister arrived at the collectorate, accompanied by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and his Uttarakhand counterpart Pushkar Singh Dhami, to file the nomination papers.

The nomination was filed in front of District Election Officer Surya Pal Gangwar. Singh was joined by the state’s two deputy chief ministers, in addition to Adityanath, as he left the state BJP headquarters in a parade. Enthusiastic party activists lined the streets, chanting slogans, scattering flower petals, and pounding drums.

The party had made significant plans, with the route from the party headquarters to the collectorate decked with flags, banners, and bunting, giving Singh’s constituency a festive appearance. Singh prayed at the Dakshin Mukhi Hanuman Temple and the Hanuman Setu Temple before submitting his nomination.

Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajyapee had previously represented the coveted Lucknow seat. Singh beat the Samajwadi Party’s Poonam Sinha in the 2019 election, and the Congress candidate Rita Bahuguna Joshi in 2014. Singh won his first Lok Sabha election from Ghaziabad in 2009, before running for Lucknow in 2014. Lucknow will vote in the Lok Sabha elections’ fifth phase on May 20. Ravidas Mehrotra, of the Samajwadi Party, is running for this seat.

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