New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party has issued show-cause notice to sitting MP Jayant Sinha for skipping campaign. The party has asked Sinha to respond within two-days. The BJP has accused former Union Minister Jayant Sinha of "maligning" the party's image".

BJP alleged that Jayant Sinha did not participate in election campaign for the party after it declared Manish Jaiswal as its candidate for the Hazaribagh Lok Sabha seat. Jayant Sinha, son of former union finance minister Yashwant Sinha, is the sitting MP of Hazaribagh.

"You are not taking any interest in organisational work and election campaigning ever since the party declared Manish Jaiswal as the candidate from the Hazaribagh Lok Sabha seat. You did not even feel the need to exercise your vote. The party's image has been maligned because of your conduct," said BJP in its notice to Jayant Sinha.

Jayant Sinha won the Hazaribagh by a margin of 4.79 lakh votes, defeating Congress's Gopal Sahu in 2019 Lok Sabha election. Hazaribagh, a high-profile urban constituency in Jharkhand, was once represented by Yashwant Sinha and later his son, Jayant Sinha. Jaiswal had earlier contested from the Mandu assembly seat on a JVM ticket.

Respond Within 2 Days: BJP to Jayant Sinha

The notice has been sent by BJP state general secretary Aditya Sahu. The party has sought an explanation from Jayant Sinha within two days, following instructions from state BJP president and former Jharkhand chief minister Babulal Marandi. Sinha was conspicuous by his absence during polling in Hazaribagh constituency on Monday.

Asked about future course of action, Aditya Sahu told PTI that it would depend on Jayant Sinha's response.

When Jayant Sinha Asked BJP to "Relieve" Him

Just hours before BJP announced Manish Jaiswal as its candidate for Hazaribagh Lok Sabha seat, Sinha had took to Twitter (now X) requesting party leadership to relieve him from electoral politics. Jayant in post said that he wanted to focus on "combating global climate change in Bharat and around the world".

"I have had the privilege of serving the people of Bharat and Hazaribagh for the past ten years. Moreover, I have been blessed by the many opportunities provided by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and the BJP leadership. My sincerest gratitude to all of them. Jai Hind!" Jayant Sinha said in a post on X on March 2.