Akhilesh Yadav’s Samajwadi Party (SP) on Monday announced 11 candidates from Uttar Pradesh for the Lok Sabha polls, even as seat-sharing talks with the Congress stand in the way of the party’s participation in the Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra.
Samajwadi Party on Monday released second list of Lok Sabha candidates
The latest list of 11 SP candidates includes Harendra Malik (Muzaffarpur), Virendra Singh (Chandauli), Afzal Ansari (Ghazipur), Shreya Verma (Gonda), Ramesh Gautam (Bahraich), SP Singh Patel (Pratapgarh), RK Chaudhary (Mohanlalganj), Rampal Rajvanshi (Mishrikh), Usha Verma (Hardoi), Rajesh Kashyap (Shahjahanpur) and Neeraj Maurya (Aaonla).
Names in second list extended
Don turned politician Mukhtar Ansari’s brother Afzal Ansari will be contesting the Lok Sabha elections on Samajwadi Party’s ticket from Ghazipur.
His name featured in the second list of candidates released by party. He fought the elections on BSP ticket in 2019 and was later disqualified from Lok Sabha in 2023.
He was convicted by MP/MLA court in connection with the murder of then MLA from Ghazipur, Krishnanad Rai, along with the kidnapping and murder of Nand Kishore Rungta.
Akhilesh invited for Bharat Jodo Nyay yatra, but will not attend without seat sharing
Akhilesh Yadav gets invitation for Rahul’s Nyay Yatra, says will join. Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav.
Meanwhile, in another setback to the Opposition INDIA alliance in Uttar Pradesh, SP president Akhilesh Yadav is set to skip Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra in Amethi and Raebareli in the state.
Seats offered to Congress in Uttar Pradesh
The Congress has been offered 17 Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh, the Samajwadi Party said, but party spokesperson Rajendra Chaudhary refused to identify the seats. “We have given a final offer of 17 Lok Sabha seats to the Congress.
Akhilesh Yadav’s participation in the Nyay Yatra in Raebareli on Tuesday will depend on their acceptance,” Chaudhary told PTI.
The Yatra will pass through Amethi on Monday, and then enter Raebareli on Tuesday, where the Samajwadi Party chief had earlier said he would join.
The Samajwadi Party had earlier offered 11 seats to the grand old party.
On the other hand, Ajay Rai, the Congress’ Uttar Pradesh unit chief, had said the party should get around two dozen seats it had won in the 2009 general elections.
The Amethi and Raebareli parliamentary constituencies are among the Congress’s few remaining strongholds in UP.
The Samajwadi Party and the Congress are partners in the opposition INDIA bloc.
Dimple Yadav in first list, from Mainpuri
Earlier, Akhilesh Yadav-led party released its first list of 16 Lok Sabha candidates on January 30.
The Samajwadi Party and Congress are partners in the INDIA bloc. SP’s new list comes days after the party had announced 16 candidates for the upcoming general elections.
Akhilesh Yadav’s wife Dimple has been fielded from Mainpuri, a seat once represented by party founder Mulayam Singh Yadav. Akshay and Dharmendra Yadav were given ticket from Firozabad and Budaun respectively.
92 year old Shafiqur Rahman Barq now again from Sambhal
MP Shafiqur Rahman Barq will contest from Sambhal and Ravidas Mehrotra, MLA from Lucknow Central, is the party candidate from Lucknow Lok Sabha seat. Lalji Verma was named as party candidate from Ambedkarnagar.
Earlier, today Samajwadi Party announced that they will not be joining Congress’ Bhara Jodo Nyay Yatra until seat-sharing with Congress is finalised. Congress has been offered 17 Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh, as per Rajendra Chaudhary, Samajwadi Party’s chief spokesperson.
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