Dara Singh Chauhan To Be BJP Candidate For Ghosi Assembly By-Polls, Yogi Cabinet Expansion Awaits Re-Election

Dara Singh Chauhan is the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) nominee for Ghosi assembly by-polls scheduled to be held on 5 September and results will be declared on 8 September.

Notably, Chauhan was already a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) from Ghosi but had to vacate his seat as he joined the BJP after leaving the Samajwadi Party (SP). Earlier too, he was associated with the BJP.

Interestingly, Chauhan commenced his political career with the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP). In 1996 and 2000, Chauhan served as a Rajya Sabha member.

Subsequently, he contested and emerged victorious in the 2009 general election, representing the Ghosi Lok Sabha constituency as a candidate from the BSP.

In 2015, Chauhan made a transition and joined the BJP. He went on to participate in the 2017 Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly election from the Madhuban constituency.

Then, he served as a cabinet minister in the Yogi Adityanath-led state government from 2017 to 2022, holding portfolios such as Forests, Environment, and Animal Husbandry.

However, in January 2022, he made another shift in his political affiliation and joined the SP. With the SP's ticket, he contested the 2022 Assembly election and emerged victorious, securing the MLA position from the Ghosi seat.

Swarajya had earlier reported that Chouhan is likely to be included in Yogi's cabinet in the upcoming possible expansion. Probably, this expansion will take place after he is re-elected as an MLA.

Notably, an OBC MLA has been elected by Ghosi voters in five out of the past six Assembly elections. Chauhan holds prominence as an OBC (Other Backward Class) representative within the realm of Uttar Pradesh politics.

Assembly by-polls will be held for two more seats. For the Puthuppally constituency in Kerala, the BJP has put forward Lijinlal G as its candidate. In Uttarakhand's Bageshwar, a constituency reserved for the Scheduled Castes, the BJP has nominated Parvati Das.

Also read: Five-Point Strategy Of BJP In Uttar Pradesh For 2024 Lok Sabha Elections