Samajwadi Party (SP) has released the names of six candidates for the upcoming by-elections in Uttar Pradesh, where polls are expected to be held later this year. Despite ongoing disagreements over seat-sharing with its INDIA alliance partner, the Congress, the SP has proceeded with its candidate announcements.
SP chief Akhilesh Yadav’s cousin, Tej Pratap Yadav, has been chosen to represent the party in Karhal. Other notable candidates include Nasim Solank for the Sishamau constituency and Ajit Prasad for Milkipur. The party has also nominated Shobahwati Verma for Katehari, Mustafa Siddiqi for Phulpur, and Dr. Jyoti Bind for Manjhwa.
The bypolls are due to take place in 10 constituencies across Uttar Pradesh this year. The Samajwadi Party has announced its candidates for six of these seats, leaving four for the Congress as part of the seat-sharing agreement within the INDIA alliance. The constituencies going to polls include Karhal (Mainpuri), Katehari (Ambedkar Nagar), Meerapur (Muzaffarnagar), Milkipur (Ayodhya), Sishamau (Kanpur city), Ghaziabad, Majhawan (Mirzapur), Khair (Aligarh), Phulpur (Prayagraj), and Kundarki (Moradabad).
Most of these seats were vacated after the sitting MLAs were elected to the Lok Sabha during the general elections earlier this year. For instance, Karhal’s seat became vacant when Akhilesh Yadav won the Lok Sabha election from Kannauj, and the Katehari seat was left open after SP MP Lalji Verma won in Ambedkar Nagar.
Despite the alliance, tensions between the Samajwadi Party and Congress over seat-sharing continue. The Congress has been pushing to contest five seats, while the SP has only offered them four. One of the vacant seats, Sishamau, became available after its SP MLA, Irfan Solanki, was disqualified following a criminal conviction.
As the dates for the by-elections have not yet been confirmed, the parties are still negotiating the final arrangements. However, the Samajwadi Party appears to have firmly set its candidate lineup for the majority of the seats.
