SP ticket-seekers avoid Rampur,Yadav clan seats

The Yadav clan holds three Lok Sabha seats. SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav represents Mainpuri,his son Akhilesh’s wife Dimple represents Kannauj and Mulayam’s nephew Dharmendra Yadav represents Badaun.

After the SP invited applications for the party ticket from its cadre for the LS elections,the rush was expected as the party graph is soaring after assuming power in the state. As many as 927 applications were deposited with the party office along with the mandatory Rs 10,000 demand draft. The last date was May 31,which was extended up to June 10.

The eligibility criteria were that the aspirants should be active members of the party,a lifetime subscriber of the party mouthpiece,‘Samajwadi Bulletin’,and no party dues should be pending against him.

Ambedkar Nagar got maximum 35 applications. The seat is presently represented by Rakesh Pandey of BSP. In the assembly elections,all five assembly seats were won by the SP.

Half a dozen MLAs,too,are desirous of entering Lok Sabha. Their applications have been kept separately.

No applications have been received for Rampur,which is currently represented by expelled SP MP Jaya Prada. Party leaders believe the seat will go to senior leader Azam Khan’s nominee.

Interestingly,Hardoi and Allahabad too failed to get any application. Hardoi is currently represented by SP’s MP Usha Verma while Allahabad is represented by SP’s Kunwar Reoti Raman Singh. Both are senior leaders and do not face any challenge in their renomination.

This practice of inviting applications and holding interviews before allotting the party ticket was introduced Akhilesh Yadav,who is also the state president in the assembly elections. Even senior leaders had to submit their applications on prescribed format and appear for the interviews.

With Mulayam asking party members to gear up for the Lok Sabha elections,and even saying these could be held before 2014,the party has initiated the process of selection of candidates. At present,the SP has 21 MPs in the Lok Sabha.