February 24, 2009 1:36:36 am
Samajwadi Party parliamentarian Devendra Yadav is likely to join the Bahujan Samaj Party and contest the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls against former chief minister Kalyan Singh.
Yadav,the sitting parliamentarian from Etah,is said to be unhappy after SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav denied him a party ticket from Etah.
Sources in the BSP said Yadav has contacted the BSP leaders seeking the party ticket to contest the election from Etah.
The party considers him a good candidate as he has been representing the Etah seat for the last one decade, said a BSP source.
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PremiumIncidentally,the BSP has already selected Shayam Singh Shakya as its candidate for the Etah seat.
According to sources,the party hopes to bag Muslim votes in Etah constituency because of the SP lending support to Kalyan Singh.
The party seeks a strong candidate against Kalyan Singh as Etah is like the acid test for the party, said a party leader. The victory of a party candidate against a leader like Kalyan Singh would help the BSP establish its credentials among the Muslims.
On being contacted,Yadav confirmed that he would contest the election from Etah seat. I am still to decide the party. But I am in touch with BSP also.
According to Yadav,if the BSP selects him as its candidate,he would certainly win the election by a good margin of votes. BSP sources also confirmed that Yadav had recently met BSP leaders including Mines Minister Babu Singh Kushwaha who is very close to Chief Minister Mayawati.
Yadav had met Mulayam Singh and asked him about his political fate. Mulayam told him that he should work for ensuring the victory of Kalyan Singh in Etah. The party would reward him later, an SP leader said.
Reports reaching here from Etah said the BSP wants a clear division in the Yadav votebank as it would not only hit Kalyan Singh’s prospects but also provide extra benefit for the party.
Etah is important constituency from the view point of Muslim votes. If they have dislikes for Kalyan,the BSP is only contender for their votes in Etah. As Yadav remains MP,he would be acceptable for them easily, a BSP source said.
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