NEW DELHI (TIP): The BJP on April 10 expelled party leader Jaswant Singh’s son Manvendra Singh from its national executive in the wake of reports that he was campaigning against the party’s candidate Sonaram Chaoudhary in Barmer. Manvendra, an MLA in Rajasthan, has been campaigning for his father and former Union Minister, contesting as an Independent, and refraining from attending party meetings in favour of its official candidate.

The party had expelled Jaswant Singh for entering the electoral fray in Barmer as an Independent candidate against the party’s official nominee after he was refused the party ticket. BJP fielded Choudhary, a Congress defector, for Barmer LS seat. The party’s Rajasthan unit had resented Manvendra’s actions of supporting a dissident leader and BJP state unit president Ashok Parnami had written to the party’s central unit seeking action against him.

As per the party’s constitution, the state unit of the party cannot initiate disciplinary action against a leader who is a member of the national executive. Taking into consideration the recommendation of BJP’s Rajasthan party chief, BJP President Rajnath Singh decided to remove Manvendra Singh from the national executive, paving the way for further action against him.