HT Correspondent
Lucknow: The Samajwadi Party has joined the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) in announcing the first list of its candidates for the assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh due later this year.
The SP on Wednesday declared its candidates for four constituencies–all of which are in the Bundelkhand and Gwalior-Chambal regions. The party has fielded its candidates in Nivadi, Rajnagar, Bhandera and Mehgaon seats, according to a notice issued by the party chief Akhilesh Yadav’s office and shared on the microblogging site X (formerly Twitter).
Parties have begun declaring candidates for the polls, due later this year, even though the Election Commission of India is yet to announce the schedule. Madhya Pradesh has a total of 230 assembly constituencies.
The SP, which aspires to turn into a national party, has previously won assembly seats, outside U.P, in Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Rajasthan, former Andhra Pradesh (the constituency now falls in Telangana), and Gujarat. In 2003, the party won seven assembly seats in Madhya Pradesh, which was its best electoral performance outside U.P.
The election commission recognises a political party to be a national one if it secures at least 6% of the total valid votes polled in four or more states at a general election.
{{/usCountry}}The election commission recognises a political party to be a national one if it secures at least 6% of the total valid votes polled in four or more states at a general election.
{{/usCountry}}The SP is likely to declare candidates for more seats in MP and then also in Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Telangana, all of which are supposed to go to polls before the Lok Sabha elections next year.