LUCKNOW: Uttar Pradesh Congress president Raj Babbar has been shifted from Moradabad to Fatehpur Sikri Lok Sabha seat.
In the seventh list announced by the party on late Friday night, the Congress announced nine more candidates in UP while changed two others. Now the Congress has announced 44 candidates so far whereas they have left out 16 seats out of the total 80 for the alliance and opposition partners.
However, the main surprise was the candidature of Bal Kumar Patel from Banda who had joined the party in New Delhi on Friday itself.
Brother of dreaded dacoit Dadua, Bal Kumar Patel is a former MP of the Samajwadi Party from Mirzapur.
The other surprise was former BSP leader and MLC Nasimuddin Siddique from Bijnore by replacing the earlier announced candidate Indira Bhati. Though Nasimuddin is a native of Banda but this would be his first Lok Sabha polls, and particularly from the strong belt of BSP, once represented by Mayawati.
The other candidates of the Congress are Trilokram Diwakar from Hatras, Prita Harit from Agra, Praven Singh Aron from Bareilly, Virendra Kumar Verma from Hardoi, Imran PratapGahraria from Moradabad, and Girish Chand Pasi from Kaushambi.
The Congress, taking no chance in view of the resentment brewing up in the party over reports of some leaders like Jitin Prasada and others getting in touch with the BJP for ticket, has changed the constituency of Raj Babbar on his demand.
Congress, in its second list for the general election, fielded the actor-turned-politician from Moradabad but in the seventh list it changed it to Fatehpur Sikri.
The decision to field Raj Babbar from Moradabad was criticised by many. The All India Muslim Majlis-e-Mushawarat (AIMMM) president Navaid Hamid questioned why did the party field actor-politician Raj Babbar from Moradabad when any Muslim candidate could have easily won from the seat.
In 2014 Lok Sabha polls, Raj Babbar had contested the election from Ghaziabad but had lost the seat of VK Singh.
Raj Babbar entered politics by joining Janata Dal in 1989, which was led by VP Singh. He later joined Samajwadi Party and was elected as Member of Parliament thrice. From 1994 to 1999, he was a member of Rajya Sabha. He was re-elected in the 14th Lok Sabha elections for his second term in 2004.
Babbar was suspended from Samajwadi Party in 2006 following which he joined Congress and got elected for the fourth time as the member of Parliament in 2009, by defeating Dimple Yadav, Akhilesh Yadav’s wife and Mulayam Singh Yadav’s daughter-in-law.
(AGENCIES)
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