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Speculation rife: Outsiders vie for SP, Cong tickets to enter poll arena
The SP may also field Trinamool Congress member Lalitesh Pati Tripathi, great grandson of late UP chief minister Kamlapati Tripathi, as its candidate for a suitable seat in eastern UP
LUCKNOW: After the 63-17 seat-sharing agreement between the Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Congress in Uttar Pradesh for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, speculations are rife about outsiders lobbying to get some tickets from SP’s share. Names of one leader each from three political parties are doing the rounds for a ticket from SP.
The Azad Samaj Party, so far, is neither an ally of the SP nor a part of it, but sources in the party said it might take the ASP on board as an ally and field its chief Chandrashekhar Azad, a Dalit leader from western UP, on a west UP seat.
“The party will decide on giving seats to anyone (outside the party) or taking on board new alliance partners,” said Rajendra Chaudhary, SP secretary.
The SP may also field Trinamool Congress member Lalitesh Pati Tripathi, great grandson of late UP chief minister Kamlapati Tripathi, as its candidate for a suitable seat in eastern UP. Party chief Akhilesh Yadav maintains a good bond with TMC chief and West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee. Lalitesh contested both the 2014 and 2019 LS polls as Congress candidate on Mirzapur seat without success. Apna Dal (S) chief and union minister Anupriya Patel won the seat on both occasions.
The day when SP and Congress announced their seat-sharing, Lalitesh posted his picture with Akhilesh, with a garlanded portrait of late Mulayam Singh Yadav and wrote: “Blessings of elders, public service...that’s my creed.”
There are speculations that the SP may field Apna Dal (K) president Krishna Patel on a seat with a sizable Patel (OBC) community in eastern UP.
Besides, Swami Prasad Maurya, who on Thursday, assumed the post of Rashtriya Shoshit Samaj Party (RSSP) president, is also angling for a seat or two for the LS polls. But he is looking towards the Congress for it. SP Maurya on Tuesday quit the SP and joined the RSSP.
