Batting for Samajwadi Party president Mulayam Singh Yadav, senior leader Beni Prasad Verma said that winnability is the main criterion for giving tickets and only those candidates have been fielded who can win elections.
“Selection of candidates has been good. Mulayam Singh has identified people who can win elections and has given them tickets. No one can question Mulayam’s political wisdom,” Verma said when asked about the ongoing feud in Samajwadi Party post declaration of candidates.
Verma said that there is no resentment in the party. “Whenever you declare tickets, there will be some upset and some happy faces in the party. This is not confined only to Samajwadi Party. This is a custom across the party,” he said and added that Akhilesh Yadav is not angry over ticket distribution as projected by media.
Justifying Mulayam’s decision on ticket distribution, the SP leader said that the party’s decision has been correct. “Mulayam has taken this decision on the basis of a survey. The candidates who were ticked in that survey report were denied tickets this time,” he said.
“Moreoever, Mulayam Singh Yadav has said that all party workers would get their due `samman’. All the leaders cannot be given tickets,” he said
Incidentally, Beni’s son Rakesh Verma has been given ticket from Ramagar in Barabanki by replacing Arvind Singh Gope, the Rural Development minister in the Akhilesh Yadav government.
Refusing to comment on his son being fielded in place of Gope, Verma said tha there are no Akhilesh loyalists or Mulayam Singh loyalists. “All are Samajwadis and they will contest Assembly polls as one big team,” he said.
Meanwhile, Verma toured Ramnagar area – the constituency from where his son Rakesh Verma has been fielded and held roadside chaupals to interact with the people.