Samajwadi Party announces 6 names for UP bypolls, turns up heat on Congress

New Delhi: A day after the Haryana assembly poll results, Samajwadi Party announced candidates for six of the 10 Uttar Pradesh assembly seats where bypolls are due later this year.

SP has fielded Ajit Prasad, son of Faizabad MP Awadhesh Prasad, from Milkipur. The seat fell vacant after Awadhesh Prasad won the Lok Sabha election. Ajit has been active in the party since 2017 and his name was discussed for Jagdishpur seat in Amethi during assembly elections.

Tej Pratap Yadav, nephew of Akhilesh Yadav, has been fielded from pocket borough Karhal, earlier represented by Akhilesh Yadav.


In Katehari, which fell vacant due to sitting MLA Lalji Verma winning the Lok Sabha poll, SP has fielded his wife Shobhawati Verma.

In Sisamau in Kanpur, SP MLA Irfan Solanki got convicted in a case and the party has now fielded his wife Naseem Solanki from the seat.

In Majhawan, SP has given ticket to former MP Ramesh Bind's daughter Jyoti Bind. In Phulpur, SP has made Mustafa Siddiqui as the party candidate. Candidates for four seats - Ghaziabad, Kundarki, Khair and Meerapur - are yet to be announced.

Sources told ET that Congress was also demanding seats in the alliance and talks were held between the two parties before the Haryana polls. On Wednesday, SP announced candidates for Phulpur and Majhawan, which were in Congress' list. Congress is still pinning hope that it could get Khair, Meerapur and Ghaziabad seats. Sources told ET that the decision will be taken by SP chief Akhilesh Yadav if Congress leadership gets in touch with them. As of now, the party has not decided and is looking for suitable candidates.