The BJP on Saturday named its candidates for the Lok Sabha and Assembly bypolls, including Bhojpuri star Dinesh Lal Nirahua from Azamgarh and former SP MLC Ghanshyam Lodhi from Rampur. The seats were vacated by Akhilesh Yadav and Azam Khan, who retained their Assembly seats.
The BJP also named the Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha for Assembly bypoll from Town Bordowal in Tripura and former councillor and State unit general secretary Rajesh Bhatia for the Rajinder Nagar Assembly bypolls in Delhi.
The Rajinder Nagar seat was vacated by Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Raghav Chadha after his elevation to the Rajya Sabha. The AAP has fielded the party’s MCD in-charge Durgesh Pathak from the constituency.
Both Nirahua, who was defeated by Akhilesh in 2019, and Lodhi are OBCs. In Rampur, SP’s Azam had contested and won in alliance with the BSP and the RLD.
With these nominations Union Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi has lost out on the tickets for both the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha. His RS seat term expires on July 7.
Like Union Minister RCP Singh of the JD(U), who could not get the Upper House seat, Naqvi too seems to be sailing in the same boat now.
BJP national general secretary Arun Singh said the Central Election Committee has approved the names for the Lok Sabha and Legislative Assembly bypolls.
In Tripura, new Chief Minister Saha will contest from Town Bordowali, Dr Ashok Sinha (Agartala), Swapna Das Paul (Surma) and Malina Debnath (Jubarajnagar).
Besides, Gangotri Kujur is BJP candidate from Mandar Assembly constituency of Jharkhand and Gundlapalli Bharath Kumar Yadav from Atmakur assembly seat in Andhra Pradesh.
June 6 is the last day of filing of nomination for Lok Sabha and Assembly bypolls. Polling will be held on June 23 and counting of votes will take place on June 26.
The BSP has announced a candidate for Azamgarh only and it has decided to not contest the bypoll in Rampur.
The results of these bypolls would test the measure of popular support to ruling or opposition parties, particularly in the states which are to go to polls in about a year’s time like that in Tripura.