Lucknow: On being denied a ticket to contest the upcoming Uttar Pradesh polls, a Samajwadi Party worker attempted to sacrifice himself outside the party office in Lucknow on Sunday.
Aditya Thakur, a SP cadre from Aligarh, doused himself in petrol and attempted to set fire to himself in front of the party headquarters at Vikramaditya Marg in Lucknow.
"I will take my life here today, come what may. You cannot stop me even if you throw me in jail. I want justice," Thakur told media persons after he was apprehended.
In the video, Thakur can be heard accusing the party of robbing him of his ticket and giving it to "outsiders". He claimed he did not have a criminal record but was still denied a candidacy.
Sources said Aditya Thakur had been hoping to contest the UP elections from Chhara constituency in Aligarh but was not given a ticket by the party.
Samajwadi Party has stitched a coalition of smaller parties for the assembly polls and has emerged as the main rival of the ruling BJP in the state.
Meanwhile, earlier on January 14, former Uttar Pradesh Ministers Swami Prasad Maurya and Dharam Singh Saini, who resigned this week from the Yogi Adityanath government and the ruling BJP ahead of Assembly polls, have joined the Samajwadi Party.
Along with the former Ministers, the sitting MLAs Bhagwati Sagar, Vinay Shakya, Roshan Lal Verma, Mukesh Verma and Brajesh Kumar Prajapati have also joined SP.
Apna Dal MLA Chaudhary Amar Singh, Former BSP MLA Neeraj Kushawaha Maurya, former BJP MLC Harpal Saini, former BSP MLA Balram Saini, former BJP MLA Rajendra Pratap Singh, former Minister of State Vidrohi Maurya, former Chief Security Officer Padam Singh and former Congress MLA Bansi Singh Pahadiya joined the party.
The spate of resignations began with Swami Prasad Maurya quitting the cabinet. Maurya, a prominent leader from the OBC community, had joined the BJP from BSP. Dara Singh Chauhan had resigned as minister on Wednesday. Dharam Singh Saini became the third minister on Thursday.
Earlier BJP MLAs Mukesh Verma, Vinay Shakya, Avtar Singh Bhadana, Roshan Lal Verma, Brijesh Prajapati and Bhagwati Sagar resigned from the party.
Uttar Pradesh assembly elections will be held in seven phases from February 10 to March 7. The polling in Uttar Pradesh will be held on February 10, 14, 20, 23, 27 and March 3 and 7.
