'Very surprised': BJP's Jayant Sinha responds to show cause notice

Responding to the show cause notice over his alleged absence in voting in the ongoing Lok Sabha election, BJP MP Jayant Sinha lashed out at the BJP's Jharkhand unit for “unjustly targeting him”.

In a letter to BJP Jharkhand's general secretary Aditya Sahu, Sinha on May 21 dismissed the allegations that he was not taking part in "organisational work and election campaigning" ever since Manish Jaiswal was declared a candidate from the Hazaribagh Lok Sabha seat.

Sinha, who is the current MP from Hazaribagh, said that he was not invited to "any party events, rallies or organisational meetings".

The former union minister further said that he voted through the postal ballot process as he was overseas for "personal commitments".

"Before leaving India, I sent my vote through the postal ballot process. Therefore, it is wrong of you to allege that I did not exercise my responsibility to vote."

"I was very surprised to receive your letter and discover that you have released it to the media as well," Sinha said in his two-page letter that shared on his X handle.

"The party announced Shri Manish Jaiswal ji as its candidate for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. My endorsement was evident when I congratulated Shri Jaiswal ji on March 8, 2024, an event that was well-documented on social media and demonstrated my unwavering support for the party's choice," he said.

"If the part wanted me to participate in any election activities, you could surely have contacted me. However, not a single senior party official or MP/MLA from Jharkhand reached out to me. I was not invited to any party events, rallies, or organizational meetings," he said.

Sinha also said that he had requested BJP national president JP Nadda to relieve him from his "direct electoral duties".

"I withdrew from the Lok Sabha elections on March 2. After consulting with Shri Nadda ji and getting his explicit approval, I made it clear publicly that I was not going to be involved in these elections. I am happy to support the party on economic and governance policies and have continued to do so," the two-term MP told Sahu.

Sinha also said that on April 30, he received a call from Jaiswal inviting him to his nomination rally on May 1, but he couldn't attend "due to the late notice"

"I traveled to Hazaribagh on May 2 and went directly to Shri Jaiswal ji's residence to express my regards. He was not present, so I conveyed my message to his family," he said.