Mulayam Singh Yadav asks leaders to ensure SP candidates victory in bypoll

LUCKNOW: Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav today directed leaders and ministers to ensure the party's victory in the next month's bypoll to 11 assembly and one Lok Labha seats in the state.

"Netaji (Mulayam) has directed us to ensure that all the seats are won by SP," Uttar Pradesh Minister Gayatri Prasad Prajapati told reporters after the meeting.

The meeting was held at the SP headquarters here in which ministers, who are in charge of the 11 assembly seats and one Lok Sabha seat going for by-elections on September 13, were present.

The assembly by-election will be held in Saharanpur, Charkhari, Lucknow east, Bijnore, Thakurdwara, Hamirpur, Rohania, Noida, Balha, Nighasan and Sirathu segments.

The seats fell vacant after the sitting MLAs were elected to the Lok Sabha in the last general elections.

The lone Lok Sabha seat that is going to bypoll is Mainpuri, which fell vacant after the SP supremo vacated the seat after winning from Azamgarh also.

Senior cabinet minister Shivpal Singh Yadav is in charge of the Mainpuri Lok Sabha seat, where Tej Pratap Yadav is contesting on SP's ticket.

Those present at the meeting included Health Minister Ahmad Hasan, Rural Development Minister Arvind Singh Gope, Basic Education Minister Ram Govind Chowdhury.