Lucknow, Jan 7 (IANS) Rajvir Singh, son of former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Kalyan Singh, Thursday said their newly formed Jan Kranti Party (JKP) would not discriminate against any religion while distributing tickets and would nominate youths as candidates.
Rajvir, who at the time of launching the party had categorically said his party would follow the Hindutva ideology, told reporters here, “In terms of ticket distribution, our party will not practice discrimination against any religion.”

Rajvir said within a week, the JKP would come up with a roadmap for contesting the 2012 assembly elections.

“Our party wants to make it clear that it would give about 50 percent of its tickets to youth alone. Moreover, the JKP would also ensure that women also get enough opportunities to contest polls,” said Rajvir, a former state health minister.

“The assembly elections are a priority for us…So to expand our party’s base, Babuji (Kalyan Singh) and others members of the party would soon undertake an extensive tour to parts of Uttar Pradesh,” said Rajvir.

On his 77th birthday, Kalyan Singh Jan 5 launched the JKP and announced his son would lead the party.

Kalyan Singh said he would work as “a patron” of the party, which would be led by the “new generation”. “I will work as a patron to strengthen the new party that would be led by Rajvir Singh alias Raju Bhaiyya.”

“After consulting thousands of party workers, it was decided that the party should be led by a new generation. So Rajvir would lead the party as its national president,” Kalyan Singh said but declined to comment on whether his decision to work just as a patron of the JKP indicated he no longer wanted to be in active politics.

Last year Kalyan Singh fell out with the Samajwadi Party after allying with it for several months.