Ghaziabad: Soon after Union minister and BJP MP from Ghaziabad Gen V K Singh (retd) announced he will not contest the Lok Sabha elections, the party on Sunday named MLA Atul Garg as its candidate from the constituency. Singh, the Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation and Road Transport and Highways, represented Ghaziabad constituency --? a BJP stronghold -- for two terms since 2014.
"I have dedicated my entire life to the service of this nation as a soldier. For the last 10 years, I have worked tirelessly to fulfil the dream of making Ghaziabad a world-class city. In this journey, I am grateful for the trust and love that I have received from the people of the country and Ghaziabad as well as from the members of the BJP. This emotional bond is priceless to me," Singh posted in Hindi on X.
"With these feelings, I have made a difficult, but thoughtful decision. I will not contest the 2024 elections. This decision was not easy for me, but I have taken it from the bottom of my heart. I want to take my energy and time in new directions, where I can serve my country in a different way," he added. The 72-year-old soldier-turned-politician also thanked people for their support and faith in him, saying he would continue his service towards the country and all the citizens, "just in a new form".
Singh tagged Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP president J P Nadda, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and the Prime Minister's Office in his social media post. Shortly after his announcement, the BJP came out with its fresh list of 11 candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls in the country in which it declared Atul Garg as its contestant from the Ghaziabad constituency.
Garg is currently a member of legislative assembly (MLA) in Uttar Pradesh from Ghaziabad seat in the district. Singh, who served as the 24th chief of staff in the Indian Army from 2010 to 2012, joined the BJP after retirement and took a plunge into electoral politics when he was fielded from Ghaziabad to replace senior party leader Rajnath Singh for the Lok Sabha polls in 2014.
In the Narendra Modi government, the veteran served as the Union Minister of State for External Affairs and also held independent charge of Ministry of Development of the North-eastern Region, Ministry of Planning and Statistics and Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs. In 2015, he spearheaded 'Operation Raahat' for evacuation of Indian citizens and other foreign nationals from war-torn Yemen. In 2016, he led 'Operation Sankat Mochan' to rescue Indians from South Sudan.
Having earned the reputation of being a trouble-shooter minister particularly in conflict-hit situations overseas, Singh also led efforts to locate missing Indian workers in Iraq in 2018, at a time when the dreaded terrorist group ISIS wreaked havoc in the region. Ghaziabad goes to polls on April 26 in the second leg of the seven-phase Lok Sabha elections. The results of the polls would be declared on June 4.
Spread across five assembly areas of Loni, Muradnagar, Sahibabad, Ghaziabad and Dhaulana (Hapur), the Ghaziabad Lok Sabha constituency has over 29 lakh registered voters, according to officials.
