Failing to find any suitable senior Party loyalists within the Party, Congress once again fielded Arshad Hassan as the party candidate from Kairana assembly by-elections. Sources said that Hassan, still not joined Congress but he is trying to get ticket.
Arshad belongs to a family of politicians as his father Choudhury Akhtar Hasan is a former MP while his elder brother Munnawar Hasan, was also a MP from Samajwadi Party from Muzaffarnagar in 2004 before he joined BSP. After Munnawar’s death, his wife Tabbassum Hasan won the elections on BSP ticket in 2009 and won it. In last Parliament elections, she lost the battle. Interestingly, the battle for Muzaffarnagar also turned out to be family contest for Congress and Samajwadi Party as Arshad’s nephew Nahid Hassan, son of Munnawar Hasan, is reportedly contesting on SP’s ticket from Kairana. Though SP, still not made the candidature official. Chairman of the Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee (UPCC) Media Cell, Satyadev Tripathi, while confirming the above name here on Monday afternoon claimed that Hassan’s candidature was decided by Party President, Sonia Gandhi, just on the recommendation of state president Nirmal Khatri, and AICC general secretary, Madhusudan Mistri, who is also incharge of the Party affairs here in UP. The polling in Kairana is scheduled for October 15. September 27 is the last date for filing of nomination papers but so far seven candidates had already filed their papers till Monday afternoon. The seat was vacated after BJP legislature party leader Hukum Singh, was elected to the lok Sabha.
Meanwhile the Congress has appointed senior party leader Harendra Mallick as the in-charge of the campaigning of Kairana assembly by-polls. Ex-legislator Imran Masood and MlA Pankaj Mallick have been made the convenor to assist Harendra.