BJP asks me not to contest: Murli Manohar Joshi

Kanpur, March 26 (IANS) Bharatiya Janata Party veteran Murli Manohar Joshi will not contest the 2019 Lok Sabha elections from anywhere as he has been denied a party ticket. In a letter to the people of Kanpur, Joshi said: "Dear people of Kanpur, General Secretary of the BJP Ramlal conveyed to me today that I should not contest the ensuing parliamentary election from Kanpur and elsewhere." Joshi is one of the founding members of the BJP, along with former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and L.K. Advani. The BJP has also denied a ticket to Advani and replaced him with party President Amit Shah from Gandhinagar Lok Sabha seat.

Advani has represented Gandhinagar for six time since 1991. Vajpayee has also represented the Gandhinagar in 1996. Joshi, 85, had left his Varanasi seat for Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He then won the 2014 elections from Kanpur.