Lucknow: On Wednesday, the Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party (SP) and an important INDI-Alliance partner announced six candidates for the impending by-elections in Uttar Pradesh, a move that jolted many.
The sudden announcement of SP nominees has surprised many, as the dates for by-elections in the state are yet to be announced.
Those who will contest the by-polls on SP ticket include Tej Pratap Yadav from the Karhal Assembly constituency, Naseem Solanki from Sisamau, Mustafa Siddiqui from Phulpur, Ajit Prasad from Milkipur, Shobhawati Verma from Katehari, and Jyoti Bind from Majhwan.
The by-elections to 9 out of 10 were necessitated after the election of sitting MLAs to the Lok Sabha, while the Sisamau seat in Kanpur fell vacant due to the disqualification of sitting SP MLA Hazi Irfan Solanki, who was held guilty and sentenced to seven years imprisonment in a criminal case by the MP/MLA court.
RBI MPC Decides to Stay ‘Neutral’, Keep Repo Rate Unchanged at 6.25 Pc; GDP Forecast at 7.2 Pc
The announcement of SP candidates comes amid a stalemate between Congress and SP over seat-sharing talks for the by-polls, slated towards the end of the year. The INDIA bloc apparently failed to reach a consensus, as Congress wanted five seats to contest, while the SP, buoyed by its recent performance in LS polls, offered it only 2-3 seats.
The by-polls in 10 assembly seats will be a litmus test for the INDIA bloc’s unity, especially after the latest setback in the Haryana elections. The Jat-dominated state, with a decade of anti-incumbency, voted the BJP back to power for a record third time. The Congress refused to strike an alliance with AAP, and experts consider this the key reason for the BJP’s return to power in Haryana.
For the UP by-polls, the BJP has also set up a panel to finalise its candidates for ten seats, which is a prestige battle for it after facing a debacle in the Lok Sabha elections. Out of these ten seats going to polls, the ruling BJP held three, while its allies, the Nishad Party and the Rashtriya Lok Dal, each had one seat. The rest of the five seats had SP MLAs.
The dates for these by-elections are expected to be announced soon.
For more updates Subscribe to Media Eye News
–IANS
(Photo: IANS/Phool Chandra)
