Uttar Pradesh Election 2017: Varun Gandhi is BJP's star campaigner number 39
In Bela Mohan, a village in Varun Gandhi's parliamentary constituency Sultanpur, people point to bright yellow new homes that the BJP lawmaker from Uttar Pradesh presented to seven of the poorest families last year.
"I don't understand why he has not been asked to campaign for the BJP across the state. He has worked very hard in his area, look at our village," said Chet Bahadur Singh, a marginal farmer who got one of the homes. Mr Singh says four were given to Muslims, three to Hindus, belying Varun Gandhi's image of a polarising BJP leader.
Sabira Tabassum, whose son got one of the houses - paid for, says Mr Gandhi, by him and donations that he has received - said she expected to see more of him on TV campaigning for the BJP. "I don't know about Hindu-Muslim, but this house is here because of him," she said, adding, "I have heard he has given 30 homes so far. I wonder when he will give more, or maybe he won't since his image makeover doesn't seem to have helped him at least with the BJP leadership."
The impact of Varun Gandhi's absence from the BJP's campaign for Uttar Pradesh this year is being seen in "mini mutinies" not just in Sultanpur, but several other parts of the state. About 60 of Mr Gandhi's supporters who hoped to be fielded as BJP candidates have reportedly been denied party ticket and they allege that in many places the BJP has chosen weaker candidates to snub them.
The Sultanpur parliamentary constituency has five assembly seats and only in one has the BJP fielded a Varun Gandhi supporter. His loyalist Chandra Bhadra Singh says he may contest as an Independent candidate from the Sultanpur Sadar seat against the BJP's official candidate said, "Obviously I am hurt. The ticket was mine. And yes, I will work against the BJP candidate." Mr Singh's brother Yash Bhadra Singh also rejected by the BJP, is contesting from neighbouring Issauli as a candidate of Ajit Singh's Rashtriya Lok Dal.
Over 300 km away in Pilibhit, Varun's mother and union minister Maneka Gandhi's constituency, saffron-robed Swami Pravaktanand is contesting as a rebel candidate from Barkhera, because he was not fielded by the BJP. There is Kripal Singh Senger in western UP's Hathras and Shailash Pathak in central UP's Dataganj, rebel candidates who warn that marginalising Varun Gandhi was a mistake.
Mr Gandhi, left out the first list of star campaigners announced by the BJP for UP, was included in the second as a virtual afterthought at number 39 out of 40. Sources close to him said it was a move to placate his supporters and was against an "understanding" between him and the BJP leadership that he would not campaign in these elections. Mr Gandhi has been upset that the BJP failed to back him last year when he was accused of being honey trapped and blackmailed into revealing confidential information.
The BJP can ill-afford the Varun Gandhi mutinies. It faces rebellion and unhappy partymen in various parts of UP, where elections will be held in seven phases starting this weekend, mostly over its strategy of fielding "outsiders" or politicians it has just poached from other parties.
Vijay Bahadur Pathak, a senior state leader of the BJP said there was no dissent. "As far as the party is concerned all candidates have been finalised after discussions with senior leaders, including the MPs. If anyone has an issue they can raise it in appropriate forums...Where there is a clamour for seats and ticket, our leaders are very capable of tackling it," he said.