Of the 12 seats — Rae Bareli, Deoria, Kaiserganj, Prayagraj, Kaushambi, Ghazipur, Ballia, Phulpur, Firozabad, Mainpuri, Bhadohi and Machhlishahar — the BJP had lost three — Mainpuri, Rae Bareli and Ghazipur — winning the remaining nine in the previous general elections in 2019.As per party sources, the nine sitting MPs may be changed in the ensuing elections by the party central leadership. The BJP is waiting for the Congress to announce its candidate in Rae Bareli to assess the situation and then move ahead with its choice which includes MLC and Yogi minister Dinesh Pratap Singh who had contested against Sonia Gandhi in the 2019 battle. The other name that may be considered is that of Manoj Pandey, the SP turncoat, or a surprise candidate imported from outside Rae Bareli.Similarly, in Ballia, Virendra Singh Mast may be sent to some other seat. Rita Bahuguna Joshi had already announced her retirement from electoral politics during the 2022 UP Assembly elections when she was seeking a ticket for her son Mayank who later joined the SP.In Bhadohi, the party may consider the candidature of Congress turncoat and former MP Rajesh Pandey, while the candidate for Ghazipur would be decided in consultation with J&K Lt Governor Manoj Sinha who had lost the last election to BSP candidate Afzal Ansari now contesting from the SP.
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