Meerut: Local residents in several parts of western Uttar Pradesh are unhappy with the selection of Lok Sabha poll candidates announced by BJP in its first list on Thursday. A number of them are incumbent MPs.BJP candidates from Meerut, Gautam Buddh Nagar, Bulandshahr and Amroha are in the firing line. Stating that they still “welcome the saffron party”, the residents and sympathizers are venting their ire in the open against the BJP candidates, and even threatened to use ‘NOTA’ option.Aggrieved residents panned the MPs’ performance in the last five years, calling it a “major failure”.“We welcome BJP in 2019, but will use ‘NOTA’, if Rajendra Agarwal is given a ticket” read banners in different parts of Meerut, such as Sisoli village and Sant Vihar Raj Nagar-Hari Nagar.Not just this, an embarrassing video of people protesting against Union minister Mahesh Sharma has gone viral on social media. Sharma is the current Union minister of State for Tourism and Culture (Independent charge).“We welcome BJP in 2019, but if Mahesh Sharma contests from the Gautam Buddh Nagar seat, let alone votes, we won’t even offer him a glass of water,” angry locals were seen shouting in the video which was apparently shot in Bulandshahr’s Mahip Jangeer village of Sikandrabad – which comes under the Gautam Buddh Nagar Lok Sabha constituency.Rajendra Agarwal is a two-time MP from Meerut. He has been serving the Lok Sabha constituency for 10 years. “Rajendra Agarwal ko vote nahi denge. Hum aisa umeedwaar nahi chahte jo kumbhkaran ki neend soye ho” (We will not vote for Rajendra Agarwal. We do not want a candidate who sleeps like Kumbhkaran), screamed a banner in Meerut’s Sant Vihar Rajnagar-Hari Nagar. Residents have also gone online against the choice of Meerut candidate.Disenchanted residents have also raised concerns against Bulandshahr MP Bhola Singh. They are demanding an immediate change of candidate, or else have openly threatened to “defeat the candidate”.BJP’s trouble doesn’t end here. In Amroha, effigy of MP Kanwar Singh Tanwar was burnt by BJP supporters outside the party office. They threatened that he will not be allowed to enter the villages.“He [Kanwar Singh Tanwar] is not a resident of Amroha. But, he has been given a ticket from Amroha for the second time. This is totally unacceptable. If he continues to be the BJP candidate, we will press ‘NOTA’ button on the election day,” said Deepak Kumar, a BJP member.

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