UP polls: Two days after joint rally, allies field candidates against each other at Lucknow Central

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In 2012 polls, Mehrotra had won Lucknow Central with around 62,000 votes. While BJP’s Vidya Sagar Gupta stood second with around 39,000 votes, Congress’ Fakir Siddiqui had come third with about 35,000 votes.

“Both Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav had held a joint road show as part of my campaign. I am MLA from this seat and have got the go ahead from party president Akhilesh to contest. I have been given the SP symbol. I have filed my nomination and Maroof will withdraw,” Mehrotra, who is the health minister in the Akhilesh Cabinet, claimed.

Maroof, however, claimed he was asked by the Congress high command to contest from the seat. “I got a call from my senior leaders, including AICC general secretary in-charge Ghulam Nabi Azad and state president Raj Babbar, on Monday night. On Monday, they asked me to file my nomination. I got the Congress symbol this morning and filed my nomination,” he said.

Asked whether he would withdraw in favour of the SP candidate, Khan said, “I do not know whether the SP candidate would withdraw or not. I would do as asked.” The last date to withdraw nominations for the third phase is February 3.

This is not the first time that both SP and Congress have fielded candidates against each other. Earlier, both parties had fielded candidates from Purkaji, Koil, Chandpur, Khair, Sayana seats in western UP. Before the last date of withdrawal of nomination for these seats, while Congress candidate from Khair reserved constituency, Mukhtyar Singh, withdrew, SP’s Rajeev Kumar Singh also withdrew his candidature from Sayana. But both SP and Congress candidates are still contesting against each other from Koil, Chandpur and Purkaji seats.