The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has fielded former Congress MLC Dinesh Pratap Singh against Sonia Gandhi in Rae Bareli. Singh had joined the BJP in 2018, Press Trust of India has reported.

This might sting the former Congress President as Singh was once considered her and Rahul Gandhi’s close aide. He was even believed to have been a close associate of Priyanka Vadra.

In 2017, Singh was suspended from the party for anti-party activities over allegedly assaulting a district general secretary of the party.

Considered a Gandhi family bastion, Rae Bareli has been held by Sonia Gandhi since 2004. The seat once had former prime minister Indira Gandhi as an MP.

The BJP also fielded popular Bhojpuri actor-singer Dinesh Lal Yadav against Akhilesh Yadav in Azamgarh. It has given the ticket to Prem Singh Shukla for a fight against Samajwadi Party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav. He is contesting from Manipuri.

The party though has dropped Kirit Somaiya from the Mumbai North East seat over supposed objection by ally Shiv Sena.