BSP MLC may be BJP nominee in Mainpuri

BJP is likely to declare the list of candidates for the bypolls on Friday.

Vinay Shakya contested the 2009 Lok Sabha election in Mainpuri as BSP candidate against Mulayam who defeated him by a margin of 1.73 lakh votes. Vinay had secured 2.19 lakh votes while BJP candidate Tripti Shakya could bag only 56265 votes.

Sources said BJP president Amit Shah is looking to field a strong candidate from the Shakya community in Mainpuri where the party has never won.

Tripti Shakya and another BJP leader Prem Singh Shakya are also in the race for party ticket from the SP bastion.

In the 2014 general elections, BJP had fielded a Thakur candidate, SS Chauhan, who secured 2.31 lakh votes but lost to Mulayam by a margin of 3.64 lakh votes. BSP candidate Sanghmitra Maurya had got 1.42 lakh votes.

While sources in BJP confirmed that Vinay Shakya’s name has been forwarded to party top brass in Delhi to consider for party ticket in Mainpuri, he denied any plan to join BJP or contest Lok Sabha byelection from Mainpuri.

“I have no plan to join BJP or to contest Lok Sabha the byelection from Mainpuri. I am a worker of BSP for past 20 years and BSP has decided not to contest byelection,” Vinay said.

Vinay’s term as member of UP Legislative Council is ending on May 25, 2015.

“The final decision about Vinay Shakya has to be taken by party national president, but Shakya has expressed his desire to join BJP and contest from Mainpuri with some senior party leaders,” said a BJP leader.

Sources said Vinay Shakya’s name is not included in the panel of candidates as he is yet to join the BJP.

The panel names Prem Singh Shakya and Ashok Chauhan.

Chauhan, a Thakur, a former BJP, had switched to BSP after the 2007 Assembly polls. He returned to BJP in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.

BJP state president Laxmikant Bajpai denied having any about the party’s plan to give Lok Sabha ticket to Vinay Shakya. “No issue related to joining of Vinay Shakya or giving ticket to him has come before me so far,” Bajpai told The Indian Express.