SP nominee to contest on RLD symbol in Kairana LS by-poll

Nurturing dreams to once again upset the BJP’s apple cart in the forthcoming Lok Sabha by-poll in Kairana constituency, the Samajwadi Party (SP) has struck a deal with the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD), which has a strong support base among the Jat community.

The SP has decided to field Tabassum Hasan, who will be contesting on the RLD election symbol, according to sources here.

SP supremo Akhilesh Yadav had earlier fielded Nishad Party’s Praveen Nishad in the recently held Gorakhpur Lok Sabha by-poll. Nishad managed to cause a major upset and ended almost three-decade hold of Gorakshnath Peeth on Gorakhpur, which also is the hometown of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

RLD vice-president Jayant Chaudhary had on Friday met Akhilesh here and staked a claim on the Kairana seat. Akhilesh rejected the claim but agreed to allow his party leader to contest on RLD election symbol.

SP sources said that Akhilesh had, by agreeing to let his party nominee contest on the RLD symbol, ensured that the SP would get the support of the Jat voters. “Our prospects would have taken a hit had the RLD put up its own candidate,” said a senior SP leader here.

Although the BSP has not declared its open support to the SP in the by-poll, sources in the party said that it has directed its workers to make sure that the party’s core voters supported the SP nominee.

The Congress has not so far revealed its strategy for the Lok Sabha by-poll and according to the sources, party state vice-president Imran Masood was planning to join the contest. The SP leader here, however, expressed confidence that the Congress would also come on board.

The BJP is likely to field Mriganka Singh, the daughter of senior party leader Hukum Singh, whose death necessitated the Kairana by-poll.

The by-poll has acquired added significance as it will be the last electoral contest in the state before the 2019 General Elections. The result of the contest could also pave the way for a grand alliance in Uttar Pradesh.

Polling for Kairana Lok Sabha seat and Noorpur Assembly seat would be held on May 28 while the counting of votes would be taken up on May 31.