Uttar Pradesh: BJP announces candidates for by-polls; firebrand Dalit leader extends support to RLD

Lucknow: The ruling Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) has announced the name of its candidates for by-elections in the Mainpuri parliamentary, Rampur & Khatauli assembly seats of Uttar Pradesh. 

The central election committee (CEC) of BJP on Tuesday announced that former MP Raghuraj Shakya would be pitched against Samajwadi Party’s Dimple Yadav in Mainpuri. In Khatauli assembly seat, Rajkumari Saini; wife of former MLA Vikram Saini who was disqualified due to conviction, would be BJP nominee, while in Rampur the party has decided to bet on Akash Saxena who had contested previously from this seat. Rampur seat was declared vacant after its legislator SP’s Azam Khan was sentenced for three years jail term in a hate speech case last month. The Mainpuri parliamentary seat was vacated after the death of Mulayam Singh Yadav.

Firebrand Dalit leader declared support for RLD

In Mainpuri, BJP has decided to field Raghuraj Shakya, an old associate of SP Founder Mulayam Singh Yadav who had been elected MP twice from Etawah and MLA once. Raghuraj Shakya had won from Etawah parliamentary seat in 1999 and 2004 as SP nominee. Besides, he was also elected legislator from Etawah city assembly seat in 2012 as SP candidate. Later on, he had joined BJP. In Rampur, BJP has fielded old party worker Akash Saxena who had faced defeat from Azam Khan in 2022 assembly polls by a margin of over 55,000 votes. 

The SP has fielded Dimple Yadav from Mainpuri parliamentary seat while in Khatauli its alliance partner Rashtriya Lok Dal’s Madan Bhaiyya would file nomination. On Tuesday, the opposition alliance got a shot in the arm when firebrand Dalit leader and president of Azad Samaj Party, Chandrasekhar alias Ravan decided to support RLD candidate in Khatauli. Ravan met RLD President Jayant Choudhury on Tuesday and announced his support for Madan Bhaiyya in Khatauli.