Lok Sabha polls 2019: BSP announces candidates for 11 constituencies in UP

AGRA: The Bahujan Samaj Party on Friday released its first list of candidates for 11 Lok Sabha constituencies including Agra , Fatehpur Sikri and Aligarh .


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In Agra, BSP has fielded Manoj Soni , who had unsuccessfully contested the last Lok Sabha polls from Hathras on a BSP ticket. While, in Fatehpur Sikri, the party has fielded Delhi based businessman, Rajveer Singh , who is contesting the elections for the first time, Ajit Baliyan will be contesting from Aligarh.

According to party leaders, since Hathras has gone to the SP in seat sharing arrangement between the two parties, Soni has been shifted to Agra. However, Soni’s candidature from the Taj city has led to a virtual revolt by local BSP leaders. In fact, Kunwar Chand Vakil , who contested the 2009 LS polls, was suspended from the party because of his open revolt against Soni. Another BSP leader, Umesh Sainthia, has also resigned from the party.

In Fatehpur Sikri, Mayawati has fielded Delhi based businessman, who joined the party in 1996. Local BSP leaders have also resented his entry.

District president of the party, Ravindra Paras, said that there is no revolt in the party and the candidates announced by the high command are acceptable to all. He said that it is not necessary that party gives ticket only to local leader as the main criteria of allotment of ticket was winnability.

Earlier, Ex MP from Fatehpur Sikri, Seema Upadhyaya, wife of senior BSP leader Ramveer Upadhyaya, had refused to contest elections from this seat. She had won it in 2009 against Congress’s Raj Babbar. In the last LS elections, she managed to secure the second position with over 2.5 lakh votes.

The BSP, which is contesting 38 seats, has named Ajit Baliyan from Aligarh. The party did not win a single LS seat in 2014.