The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) on Tuesday announced the names of 11 more candidates for the Lok Sabha elections in Uttar Pradesh.

The party changed the Mainpuri Lok Sabha candidate and gave the ticket to Shiv Prasad Yadav instead of Gulshan Dev Shakya. Prasad is the former MLA from Barthana. The Mayawati-led party fielded Athar Jamal Lari from Varanasi against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Former Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav’s wife Dimple Yadav is in the fray as a candidate from Mainpuri, while the BJP has fielded UP’s Tourism and Culture Minister Jaiveer Singh from Mainpuri, which is considered as a Samajwadi Party stronghold.

Annoyed with Mayawati’s decision, Shakya quit BSP and joined Samajwadi Party on Tuesday and was present beside Dimple who filed her nomination from Mainpuri.

In Jaunpur, Mayawati gave the ticket to mafia-turned-politician Dhananjay Singh’s wife Shrikala Singh. Dhananjay was said to be preparing to contest the election from Jaunpur Lok Sabha constituency. In the meantime, a local court sentenced him to seven years in prison in a case. Thereafter, Dhananjay was arrested and sent to jail.

As Dhananjay could not contest the election, his wife Srikala was given the ticket from Jaunpur.

Others included in the fifth list are Muslim Khan from Budaun, Chhotelal Gangwar from Bareilly, Udraj Verma from Sultanpur, and Kranti Pandey from Farrukhabad. 

Mayank Dwivedi will contest from Banda, Khwaja Shamsuddin from Dumariyaganj, and Lallan Singh Yadav from Ballia. Umesh Kumar Singh will contest against SP candidate and MP Afzal Ansari from Ghazipur.