To pressure Samajwadi Party into withdrawing candidates from four Assembly segments of Rae Bareli and Amethi, the Congress brass instructed the state leadership to ensure withdrawal of four candidates cfrom seats where SP candidates too had filed nominations.
Congress sources confirmed that after a high-level discussion in New Delhi, the party brass asked state chief Raj Babbar to ensure withdrawal of Maroof Khan from lucknow Central, Hanuman Prasad from Mankapur, Bhagat Ram Mishra from Payagpur and Anil Singh from Sohratgarh. All four had filed nomination along with SP candidates.
Sources further said that even as the state president and candidates were apprised of the decision, the Party did not come up with an official confirmation. The move is perceived as one to pressure on the SP to ask its four candidates who filed papers from Rae Bareli and Amethi, the Parliamentary constituencies of Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi.
Meanwhile, Priyanka Gandhi, who played a key role in the alliance wanted that the SP should leave the Congress bastion just like they left their stronghold of Etawah, Mainpuri, Azamgarh, Moradabad, Amroha, Faizabad, Ambedkarnagar, and several other districts.
In lucknow too, Congress is not contesting on any seat and only Anurag Bhadoria, a Samajwadi Party leader, is contesting on Congress’ symbol from lucknow East.
Sources also confirmed that since SP leaders, particularly Akhilesh Yadav had so far been guarded against asking his candidates to withdraw in Rae Bareli and Amethi, hence Priyanka, who was scheduled to visit Rae Bareli on a six-day visit to kick off Congress campaign on Monday had cancelled her tour.
Congress leaders claimed that she wanted to settle the seat sharing deal in Rae Bareli and Amethi and thereafter tour the region to campaign for candidates.
Cabinet minister Gayatri Prajapati and Congress MP Sanjay Singh’s second wife Ameeta Singh have filed their nominations from Amethi. Both Congress and SP candidates are contesting on three more seats of Amethi and Rae Bareli even after the two parties entered into an alliance.
SP has fielded sitting MlA Rakesh Pratap Singh from Gauriganj seat from where Mohammed Naim of Congress filed his nomination.
In Rae Bareli’s Sareni seat Ashok Singh (Congress) and Devendra Pratap Singh (SP) are challenging each other. likewise, in Unchahar, Ajay Pal Singh (Congress) is facing cabinet minister Manoj Kumar Pandey (SP).