New Delhi: As the Congress party showed his readiness to welcome Varun Gandhi after he was denied by the ruling-BJP, sources confirmed to Republic that he won't be contesting the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. Varun Gandhi has taken the decision to not contest the upcoming elections after speaking with the BJP high command, said his personal assistant Kamal Kant while speaking exclusively to Republic on Wednesday, March 27.

Varun Gandhi is a two-time sitting MP from Pilibhit,  but was denied ticket this time. The BJP has substituted him with former Congress member Jitin Prasada to run for the Pilibhit seat in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in Uttar Pradesh.

Speculations were rife that Varun Gandhi may rebel against the Bharatiya Janata Party. Earlier, Varun Gandhi has often aired views deemed critical of his party's governments at the Centre and in Uttar Pradesh.

However, neither would he join any other party nor he contest independently as a BJP rebel from Pilibhit in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, claimed Kant. He said that all attention would be on Varun's mother Maneka Gandhi's contest.  BJP has renominated his mother Maneka Gandhi from Sultanpur Lok Sabha seat. 

Congress' Invitation to Varun

Varun Gandhi and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi are cousins. After Varun was denied ticket, senior Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Tuesday invited him to join the grand old party.

Chowdhury called Varun a  “dabang neta (strong leader)” and claimed that he was denied a Lok Sabha ticket by the BJP because of his connection with the Gandhi family.  

“He is a dabang neta and a very educated man. He has a clean image. Varun Gandhi has a connection with the Gandhi family. This is why the BJP denied him a ticket (for Lok Sabha polls). I think he should come (join the Congress), we will be very happy," Chowdhury, the leader of the Congress party in the outgoing Lok Sabha, said.