Dismissing possibility of a pre-poll Mahagathbandhan (grand alliance), Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav on Wednesday announced a list of 325 candidates, outof total of 403 seats, for the Assembly polls
Yadav chief said that the names of remaining 78 candidates will be released after consulting all stake holders. The SP chief categorically stated that his party would be going alone in the imminent elections.
Addressing media persons in lucknow on Wednesday, Mulayam Singh said, "The list of 325 candidates is final and no one from this list will be changed. This also includes 176 sitting MlAs.’’ The list however does not include the name of Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav. On the question of Akhilesh' candidature, Mulayam put the ball in the CM's saying,``It’s for Akhilesh to decide from which seat he wants to contest.’’
Akhilesh had earlier expressed the desire to contest from three seats in Bundelkhand –Charkhari in Mahoba, Baberu in Banda and Babinaa in Jhansi.
Asked about the CM face of the party, Mulayam said, ``Never in the SP's history has the name of the CM been projected before the polls. It is decided by MlAs in the legislature party meet after the polls.’’
Asked about how many of Akhilesh loyalists figure in the recent list, the SP chief said, ``This is for you to analyse. I have used my discretion in deciding tickets and I have tried to adjust people as much as I could.’’
Earlier, both Akhilesh Yadav and his uncle Shivpal Yadav had submitted separate list of candidates to the SP chief.
While the SP chief was flanked by state SP chief Shivpal Yadav Yadav, Speaker Mata Prasad Pandey and others, CM Akhilesh Yadav was conspicuous by his absence.
State SP chief and CM baiter Shivpal Yadav will contest from his traditional Jaswant Nagar seat of Etawah.
However three ministers close to the CM were denied ticket which may transform into an Achilees heel.
Social Welfare minister Ram Govind Chaudhary from Baansdeeh seat of Ballia, Rural Development minister Arvind Singh Gope of Barabanki and Minister of state for Forest Pawan Pandey of Faizabad were denied tickets from their seats.
Instead, the party fielded Rakesh Verma, son of veteran Beni Prasad Verma in place of Gope from Ramnagar seat of Barabanki.
Ignoring vehement opposition from Akhilesh, the SP chief chose to accommodate all tainted leaders in the list of 325 candidates. This includes Atiq Ahmed from Kanpur Cantonment, Mokhtar Ansari's brother Sibgatullah Ansari from Mohammadabad (Ghazipur) and BSP leader Naseemuddin Siddiqui's brother Hasnuddin Siddiqui from Banda.
Four ministers earlier dropped from thecabinet by Akhilesh for their proximity to Shivpal Yadav have were also fielded. They are Ambika Choudhary and Narad Rai from Ballia and Om Prakash Singh and Shadab Fatima from Ghazipur.
Controversial minister Gyatri Prajapati who was sacked by the CM in September only to be reinducted has also been fielded from his old seat of Amethi.
SP legislator from Biswan (Sitapur) Rampal Yadav, who was expelled by the CM and readmitted into the party earlier this week, has also been given ticket from the same seat.
Mulayam's daughter-in-law Aparna Yadav has been fielded from lucknow Cantonment seat, while minister Azam Khan's son Abdullah Azam will contest from Swar Tanda seat in Rampur.
Mulayam Singh said that the candidates were selected from a total of 4,200 applications in a transparent manner after assessing their winnability.