Written by Express News Service | Lucknow |
March 1, 2009 5:26:35 am
March 1, 2009 5:26:35 am
Former SP legislator Rakesh Pandey will be BSPs candidate against BJP national general secretary Vinay Katiyar for Ambedkar Nagar Lok Sabha seat.
Earlier,the BSP had named Atahar Khan as its candidate from Ambedkar Nagar.
On Saturday,Pandey joined the BSP after holding a meeting with Chief Minister Mayawati. As SP nominee,Pandey was defeated by BSPs Sher Bahadur Singh in Jalalpur in the last Assembly elections.
According to sources,the BSP changed its candidate because Katiyar may polarise the election on communal lines and the presence of a Muslim candidate would have helped him.
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Moreover,the recent murder of one Ram Anjor Yadav,in which Atahar Khans relatives have been named accused,would also have come handy to Katiyar.
This is second seat where the BSP has changed its Muslim candidate in the last few days. Earlier,the party had given the ticket to Sukhda Mishra in Kanpur,in place of Saleem Ahemad,whom it had been projecting as its candidate for several months.
The Amebdkar Nagar constituency includes most of erstwhile Akbarpur constituency,which Mayawati had represented in the past. Sources in the SP said the party may also change its decision to field Shankh Lal Manjhi,following the announcement of BJP and BSP candidates for the seat.
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Akbarpur is the birthplace of veteran socialist Ram Manohar Lohiya and the party wants to retain this seat. The party is considering several names in the changed situation, a source said.
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First published on: 01-03-2009 at 05:26:35 am
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