The Samajwadi Party (SP) has replaced eight candidates for the 2012 Assembly elections and declared the names of two new candidates today. In Puranpur constituency of Pilibhit district,the SP has decided to field Pritam Singh instead of Ramesh Raja,whose name was declared from the seat earlier. Recently,sitting BJP MLA Sukhlal,who has now defected to the Congress,was nominated for this seat by the Congress. His earlier constituency Barkheda was declared general seat following delimitation. The SP also changed the candidate for the Barkheda constituency,naming Hemraj in place of Ashok Gangwar whom it had earlier nominated for the seat. Gangwar has instead been given the party ticket from Beesalpur constituency of Muzaffarnagar district. In Muzaffarnagar district,the SP dropped the name of Uma Kiran,a former MLA and gave the ticket to Narendra Valmiki from Purkaji constituency. Former MP and three times MLA Amir Alam Khans name has been finalised by the party for Mirpur constituency. In Kasta constituency of Lakhimpur Kheri,the SP has dropped Ramsaran Bhargava and named Sunil Kumar Bhargava as its candidate. In Hardois Balamau constituency,former MLA Anil Verma was named in place of Ramlali Verma. Similarly,in Kanpur Nagars Maharajpur constituency,Aruna Tomar was given the ticket and Suresh Yadav was dropped. Former MP Daroga Prasad Sarojs name was dropped from Mehnagar constituency of Azamgarh and Brijlal Sonkar was nominated in his place. Sources said that Saroj wants to fight the parliamentary election in 2014. From Ajgara seat in Varanasi,Bhaiya Lal Kanaujia has been named as the party nominee in place of Lalji Sonkar. The party has so far decided candidates for 387 of the 403 Assembly constituencies in Uttar Pradesh. Probe deal between JP Group and Mayawati: SP Lucknow: Opposition Samajwadi Party on Wednesday demanded a CBI probe into the deal between a real estate group,which is organising Formula 1 event inGreater Noida,and the Mayawati government. The JP group has been given cheap land of farmers and also given entertainment tax exemption by Mayawati. A CBI probe should be initiated to ascertain partnership of the group with the CM, party spokesman Rajendra Chowdhury said. The allegations came a day after Supreme Court sought explanation from the Uttar Pradesh government for granting tax exemption to the Jaypee Group for organising the sporting event in the state. Defending the tax exemption,Sameer Gaur,MD and CEO Jaypee Sports International,has said it was given to us by the UP state government since Formula 1 is an entertainment industry.
