BJP picks a Thakur for Hamirpur byelection

Lucknow: Bharatiya Janata Party late on Monday announced the candidature of Yuvraj Singh, a Thakur, from Hamirpur, where bypolls are scheduled for September 23. With Singh in the fray, battle lines are drawn for the Assembly seat, which fell vacant after the conviction of sitting MLA, Ashok Singh Chandel, in a 22-year-old murder case.

BJP’s move to field a Thakur is seen as another attempt to woo the upper caste in Hamirpur, which has a sizeable population of Rajputs and Brahmins. On Sunday, Congress announced the candidature of Hardeepak Nishad as its candidate. Samajwadi Party too fielded an OBC, Manoj Kumar Prajapati, from the seat while BSP played the Muslim card by announcing the candidature of Naushad Ali.

Ali filed his nomination on Monday. The last date of filing nomination is September 4.

Former Samajwadi Party leaders Surendra Singh Nagar and Sanjay Seth, who recently joined BJP, were nominated by BJP as its candidate for Rajya Sabha bypolls in Uttar Pradesh on Monday.

Both Nagar and Seth had resigned from the Upper House and the SP before joining the BJP last month.