lok-sabha-elections

Updated: Apr 03, 2019 19:06 IST

The Bharatiya Janata Party has fielded a former Congress MLC Dinesh Pratap Singh against Sonia Gandhi in Uttar Pradesh’s Rae Bareli and Bhojpuri singer against Dinesh Lal Yadav, aka ‘Nirahua’, against Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav in Azamgarh.

This was announced in a list of six candidates that the BJP released on Wednesday. The list names candidates for five seats in Uttar Pradesh and one in Maharashtra.

Among the six seats for which the party declared its candidates are the three key Uttar Pradesh seats of Rae Bareli, Mainpuri, and Azamgarh.

The BJP has fielded former Congress MLC Dinesh Pratap Singh against the Congress chairperson Sonia Gandhi in Rae Bareli. Dinesh Pratap Singh had joined the BJP early in 2018. Dinesh Pratap singh had been elected as an MLC for the second time in 2016. Rae Bareli is a Congress bastion and the BJP is looking to dent Congress’s vote share in the seat by fielding local strongman Dinesh Pratap Singh from there. Sonia Gandhi has represented the seat since 2004.

In Mainpuri, where Samajwadi Party founder Mulayam Singh is contesting from once again, the BJP has fielded Prem Singh Shakya. The Congress is not fielding a candidate against Mulayam Singh Yadav, making the battle a direct contest between the BJP and the Samajwadi Party. Shakya had earlier contested the 2014 Lok Sabha elections from Mainpuri against Tej Pratap Singh but had lost by more than 3 lakh votes. The BJP has till date not been able to win the Mainpuri seat with the Samajwadi Party holding fort in the seat for the past 24 years.

In Azamgarh, where Samajwadi Party chief and former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav is contesting, the BJP has fielded well-known Bhojpuri actor and singer Dinesh Lal Yadav, aka ‘Nirahua’, as the party’s candidate. In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, Mulayam Singh had contested from Azamgarh and had defeated BJP’s Ramakant Yadav by a margin of more than 60,000 votes.

In Uttar Pradesh’s Machlishahr constituency, the BJP has announced the candidature of VP Saroj.

Uttar Pradesh, which sends 80 members to Parliament, will go to polls in all seven phases starting April 11. Counting of votes will take place on May 23.

In Maharashtra’s Mumbai North East seat, the BJP opted to field Manoj Kotak, dropping its sitting MP Kirit Somaiya after party ally Shiv Sena opposed his name.