Congress had a day of mix fortune when one of it’s senior leader and five time MlA, Banshidhar Raj, joined the Samajwadi Party, but Party old warrior Fasle Masood, who quit just before Parliament elections in 2009, made a come back on Saturday.
His joining in the Party has been welcome by host of senior leaders, including State president, Nirmal Khatri, Rajya Sabha MP, Nirmal Khatri and former Party MP from lakhimpur Kheri, Zafar Ali Naqvi. Masood, so far is working as state president of Rastriyawadi Congress Party. Meanwhile sources in the Party also confirmed that a meeting of senior leaders which included AICC general secretary, Madhusudan Mistri, all four secretaries of AICC who were looking after Party affairs here in UP, along with state president, Nirmal Khatri and ClP leader, Pradeep Mathur, met in New Delhi on Friday and had finalised the names of candidates for by-polls, but the announcement in this regard would be made once President, Sonia Gandhi would give her nod. Sources said that it was also decided in the meeting that Party would leave Bijnore Assemblyseat for it’s alliance partner, Rastriya lok Dal while they would not field any candidate from Mainpuri Parliament seat as Mulayam’s grandson in contesting by-polls.