BJP Fields Bhojpuri Star Ravi Kishan from Yogi's Gorakhpur, Praveen Nishad Moved to Sant Kabir Nagar

Lucknow: The Bhartiya Janata Party on Monday released a fresh list of seven candidates for Uttar Pradesh with Bhojpuri superstar Ravi Kishan and Nishad boss's son getting tickets from eastern UP seats.

Keeping in mind the actor's popularity among Bhojpuri-speaking population of Purvanchal, Kishan has been fielded from Gorakhpur. The actor had met UP CM Yogi Adityanath a few days ago and had announced to fight elections from "where ever the party will ask him to contest".

The Gorakhpur parliamentary seat, which was considered as a bastion of UP CM Yogi Adityanath, was lost to SP candidate Praveen Nishad during the bypolls. However, recently Sanjay Nishad had parted ways with the alliance and announced his support for the BJP. His son, Praveen Nishad,m also joined the BJP and is being fielded from Sant Kabir Nagar.

The sitting BJP MP from Sant Kabir Nagar Sharad Tripathi, who came to limelight after he was seen beating a local BJP MLA in a viral video, has been denied a ticket this time. However, in a strategic move, his father Rama Pati Tripathi has been given ticket from Deoria parliamentary seat. Interestingly, sitting Apna Dal (S) MLA from Pratapgarh Sangam Lal Gupta has been fielded by BJP from Paratapgarh parliamentary constituency, the area which is known as the stronghold of Raghuraj Pratap Singh alias Raja Bhaiyya who had recently floated his own political outfit.

Another incumbent MLA from Kaiserganj assembly seat and Minister in Yogi Adityanath government Mukut Bihari has been fielded from Ambedkarnagar seat. While current MP from Jaunpur KP Singh has been once again fielded from the seat

One more turncoat, who has been given ticket from Bhadohi, is former BSP leader Ramesh Bind, who had joined BJP recently. The three-time former MLA from Majhwan seat was suspended from BSP on charges of indiscipline. Ramesh Bind is said to have a good hold on the Bind community voters.