Late on Sunday, the Congress released its first list of 41 candidates for west U.P., including seats where the Samajwadi Party had earlier fielded candidates against its wishes. In effect the SP has returned the seats to the Congress in which the latter had either won or come a close second in 2012.
AICC general secretary Madhusudan Mistry later announced two additional nominees cleared by the party’s Central Election Committee (CEC): Masud Akhtar from Saharanpur Nagar and Sherbaz Khan from Chandpur Assembly constituency
The Congress has fielded U.P. vice-president Imran Masood from Nakur (Saharanpur), where the SP had earlier declared a candidate.
The shift in balance also means that Umar Khan, the SP candidate who is the son-in-law of the Shahi Imam Bukhari of Jama Masjid, has been replaced from Behat in Saharanpur by the Congress candidate Naresh Saini.
While Congress strongman Pankaj Malik gets back his Shamli seat, the Congress leader of the party in State Assembly Pradeep Mathur is fielded form the seat he won in 2012, Mathura.
The Congress also got back the Deoband, Hapur. Hathras, Khurja, Syana, Bareilly and Bareilly Cantontment seats. The SP seems to have retained Gangoh in Saharanpur.
Congress has fielded former minister Jitin Prasad from Tilhar in Sahahjahanpur.
Earlier at a press conference announcing the alliance, State Congress President Raj Babbar said, the alliance would “set an example” in development and the two parties would issue a common minimum programme in one week, a “new agenda that is accountable and far-sighted”.
Another SP list
Soon after the press meet, Samajwadi Party released another list of 77 candidates, including three from Rae Bareli —Salon, Unchahar and Sareni.
It was soon followed up by the party announcing in a separate note that it would also contest on two seats in neighbouring Amethi — Amethi and Gauriganj.
While sitting MLA Rakesh Pratap Singh is fielded in Gauriganj, the SP has fielded corruption tainted controversial minister Gayatri Prasad Prajapati from Amethi.
Interestingly, the SP has fielded a candidate, Atlaf Ansari, from Mau, held by controversial leader Mukhtar Ansari but not yet announced a candidate on the Mohamadabad seat in Ghazipur, where Mukhtar’s brother Sibgatullah Ansari is sitting MLA.
Mr. Akhilesh Yadav was opposed to the merger of the Ansaris’ Quami Ekta Dal with the SP and whether he snubs them again would be keenly watched.
