By elections to Kaiarna lok Sabha will be held on May 28

Will the Opposition field a joint candidate in Kairana or prefer to try their luck separately IJ The million dollar question is already doing the rounds in political circles with the Samajwadi Party and Rashtriya lok Dal failing to come to a meeting ground.

Spokesman of SP and RlD said that the respective have started preparations to contest the byelections and both vouched that the national leadership would take a final call on the issue.

The by-elections to Kaiarna lok Sabha and Noorpur Assembly seats will be held on May 28 and the results will be declared on May 31. 

After the success of the opposition in Gorakhpur and Phulpur lok Sabha bypolls, where the SP, BSP and RlD fielded a common candidate, expectations were rife the RlD would field Jayant Chaudhary in Kairana lok Sabha seat, whose candidature would be supported by the SP and BSP.

Even, UP Congress vice-president Imran Masood favoured Chaudhary as a possible united opposition candidate.

But as the polls draw near, there are indications that both SP and RlD were now willing to contest this seat. Both parties have started the process of candidate selection and sent their observers to the field.

RlD national spokesman Anil Dubey said that the party was in favour of opposition unity as witnessed in Gorakhpur and Phulpur. 

“The party sent observers to all five Assembly segments of Kairana lok Sabha and Noorpur Assembly constituency to identify possible candidates. The candidates will be selected by national leadership,” he said.

On the other hand Samajwadi Party spokesman Rajendra Chaudhry said that his party was willing to contest Kairana and Noorpur bypolls and a final call would be taken by SP chief Akhilesh Yadav.

There are two lines of thinking in both parties. SP leaders argue that why should they leave the seat for RlD as in 2017 Assembly polls, RlD candidates came a dismal third in Thana Bhawan, Shamli and Kairana, eighth in Nakur and fifth in Gangoh - the five Assembly segments of Kairana lok Sabha seat. 

“Their combined votes were less than the BSP and SP separately. Whereas the SP candidate was the runner-up in 2014 lok Sabha polls at Kairana, behind BJP’s Hukum Singh whose passing away necessitated the bypoll.

On the other hand, RlD sources believe that the SP might not allow Jayant Chaudhry to contest from Kairana as a joint candidate. 

“The RlD is passing through a bad phase. It does not have representation in Assembly and Council and not even in lok Sabha. If RlD wins, it will invigorate party workers, which could be a threat for the SP,” sources said.