Hours after the Congress sealed a pre-poll deal with Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh, the former on Sunday released its first list of 43 candidates for the UP Assembly elections. The list include, former Union minister Jitin Prasad and controversial leader Imran Masood.
Masood, who is well-known for his hate speech against PM Modi in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, will fight Nakur seat. Another candidate Prasad will fight from Tilhar Assembly constituency.
Other names in the list include Mukesh Choudhary. He will contest from Deoband assembly constituency while Pradeep Mathur has been fielded from Mathura seat.
Initially, a list including names of 41 candidates was released. But later, AICC general secretary Madhusudan Mistry released a list of two additional nominees approved by the party’s Central Election Committee (CEC). It includes Masud Akhtar from Saharanpur Nagar along with Sherbaz Khan from Chandpur Assembly constituency.
JUST IN: @INCIndia releases 41 of 105 candidates for Uttar Pradesh elections, covering Western Uttar Pradesh seats #UPElection2017 pic.twitter.com/X0UKL4QMAA
— Newsd (@GetNewsd) January 22, 2017
The alliance between Congress and SP for the upcoming Assembly polls in UP has been sealed on Sunday. Congress party will contest from 105 seats while SP would contest for 298 seats. UP chief minister Akhilesh Yadav will release the Samajwadi party election manifesto soon.
“It was wrong to suggest lightweights were dealing on behalf of Congress. Discussion was at highest level between CM (UP), General Secretary, Congress in-charge and Priyanka Gandhi,” said Congress leader Ahmed Patel.
The alliance was formed after the intervention of Congress President Sonia Gandhi, said sources.
According to sources, Congress party has conveyed to Akhilesh that the party wanted 110 seats. The grand old party wanted more seats in Rae Bareli and Amethi constituencies, the stronghold of the Gandhi family.
