UP elections: In Samajwadi Party’s candidates list – don Mukhtar Ansari’s brother, Azam Khan’s son; jumpship from BSP

In another major announcement, Shivpal revealed that former party MP Atiq Ahmed has returned to the party. The tainted politician, with more than 150 cases against him, is being fielded from Kanpur Cantonment seat.

Updated: December 24, 2016 3:52 PM IST

By Mohammed Uzair Shaikh

UP elections: In Samajwadi Party's candidates list - don Mukhtar Ansari's brother, Azam Khan's son; jumpship from BSP
शिवपाल सिंह यादव. फाइल फोटो.

New Delhi, Dec 11: In the list of candidates 23 candidates announced by Samajwadi Party, don Mukhtar Ansari’s brother Sibghatullah Ansari and Azam Khan’s son Abdullah Azam are included. The confirmation was made by Samajwadi Party state unit president Shivpal Singh Yadav. The party has so far announced 175 candidates for the upcoming Uttar Pradesh assembly elections for the 403 constituencies. Influential Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) leader Hasnuddin Siddiqui has jumped ship to the Mulayam Singh Yadav camp. Hasanuddin is the younger brother of BSP’s most prominent Muslim leader Naseemuddin Siddiqui.

Sibghatullah Ansari is the second rank leader of Mukhtar Ansari’s Quami Ekta Dal (QED). He would be fielded on the SP ticket from Mohammadabad constituency in Ghazipur district, The assembly segment was won by him in 2012 UP elections on QED tickets. He is expected to retain the seat.

Azam’s son Abdullah is fielded from Swar constituency, located in Rampur district, the bastion of his father. On being asked by reporters whether Samajwadi Party is promoting nepotism, Shivpal denied, saying that the party has considered his activities for the past few months in the region.

In another major announcement, Shivpal revealed that former party MP Atiq Ahmed has returned to the party. The tainted politician, who has over 150 cases pending against him, was expelled after he voted against the then Manmohan Singh government in the Parliament in the no-trust motion on nuclear deal. He would be contesting from the Kanpur Cantonment seat.

Shivpal also announced three major replacements for the upcoming elections. From Barhaj seat, the party has replaced sitting MLA Prem Prakash Singh by Genda Lal Yadav. From Rudrapur, Anagram Narain Singh replaced Pradeep Yadav. In Budhana, incumbent MLA Nawazish Alam Khan jumped ship to BSP. Shivpal announced Kanwar Hasan as his replacement.

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