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Journalism of Courage
Bahujan Samaj Party has decided to field Akbar Ahmed Dumpy against Union Steel Minister Beni Prasad Verma from Gonda parliamentary seat.
Behenji called me yesterday to her residence and asked me to contest from Gonda. I accepted her decision, the former MP from Azamgarh told The Indian Express on Friday,referring to BSP chief Mayawati.
He said he is in touch with local people and will soon leave for Gonda. Apart from Verma,he will be pitted against Samajwadi Party candidate Nandita Shukla,who is currently the Gonda MLA.
Ahmed does not see Verma as much of a challenge to him in Gonda. There is no one who is a bigger heavyweight than me. Beni will be relegated to third or fourth place, he said. BSP decided to field Ahmed after replacing its candidate from Gonda,Masood Alam Khan,who was expelled from the party by Mayawati three days ago.
Ahmed,who was close to Sanjay Gandhi,won Lok Sabha elections twice on BSP ticket from Azamgarh in 1998 and 2008 (by-election). He unsuccessfully tried his luck from Bareilly in 2004 as BSP candidate. In 2009,he was again fielded from Azamgarh as the BSP nominee but lost. I was defeated due to Ulema Councils candidate in Azamgarh in 2009, he said.
Ahmed began his political journey by winning the assembly election from Haldwani in 1980 as Congress candidate.
After that I left Congress and defeated senior Congress leader Ammar Rizvi from Kashipur seat in 1987 as Sanjai Vichar Manch candidate. Thereafter,I joined BSP in 1996 and since then I am with Behenji, he said.
