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Dy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya, SP’s Indrajeet Saroj to file papers today
Deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya will file his nomination papers from Sirathu assembly segment of Kaushambi on Thursday and Samajwadi Party’s national general secretary Indrajeet Saroj from Manjhanpur seat.
LUCKNOW/PRAYAGRAJ BJP chief JP Nadda and union minister and party’s election in charge for Uttar Pradesh Dharmendra Pradhan would be among several BJP leaders who would be present for the nomination of deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya from Sirathu assembly segment of Kaushambi on Thursday.
The Samajwadi Party has pitted Apna Dal (Kamerawadi) leader Pallavi Patel against Maurya and when asked about the opposition candidate, Keshav Maurya described her like his sister.
“Pallavi is union minister Anupriya Patel’s sister and since I regard her as my sister, Pallavi too is like one to me. As for elections, all are free to contest against anyone,” Maurya said in Lucknow soon after SP named Pallavi Patel as its candidate against Maurya.
Anupriya Patel heads the Apna Dal (Sonelal) while her mother Krishna Patel heads the Apna Dal (Kamerawadi) and both the groups support different political ideologies – Anupriya firmly behind the BJP, while Krishna Patel is backing the Samajwadi Party.
“Keshav ji keeps telling us that since he was born in Kasia village of Sirathu, he has an emotional attachment with the place,” said BJP leader Navin Srivastava. Maurya was among the 47 BJP lawmakers to have won the 2012 UP elections when Samajwadi Party had won a majority in the state assembly. Sirathu is dominated by dalit and OBCs and a few days back Vachaspati, the SP candidate who won in the 2014 bypoll on the seat after Keshav Maurya quit from here on becoming a Lok Sabha MP from Phulpur, has now joined Apna Dal (S), a BJP ally.
Dharmendra Pradhan had named chief minister Yogi Adityanath and Maurya as BJP candidates for 2022 UP polls while announcing the first list of 107 candidates for UP polls.
Samajwadi Party’s national general secretary Indrajeet Saroj will also file his nomination on Thursday from Manjhanpur seat.
Administrative and police officials are also on alert over the nominations of the two senior leaders on Thursday. The officials will ensure that nominations are filed as per guidelines issued by the Election Commission. deputy election officer Jaichand Pandey said only two persons would be allowed with the candidate inside the office while filing the nomination.
