The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday released its fourth list of candidates, comprising 85 names, for the upcoming assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh. The ruling party has allotted tickets to former Congress MLA Aditi Singh and former police commissioner of Kanpur, Asim Arun, both of whom joined the party recently.
While Arun, who joined the BJP on January 16, has been fielded from Kannauj, Singh, who was inducted in November last year, will contest from Rae Bareli, from where she is a sitting legislator. Kannauj, meanwhile, is held by the opposition Samajwadi Party (SP), whose candidate, Anil Kumar Dohare, defeated the BJP's Banwari Lal Dohare in the 2017 state polls.
Yogesh Verma, the incumbent MLA from Lakhimpur, has been repeated for this seat. The decision assumes significance in the backdrop of last October's Lakhimpur Kheri violence case, in which four farmers and a local journalist were run over by a car allegedly driven by Ashish Mishra, the son of Union minister and Lakhimpur MP Ajay Mishra ‘Teni.’ In the ensuing violence, two BJP workers and a driver were lynched.
{{/usCountry}}Yogesh Verma, the incumbent MLA from Lakhimpur, has been repeated for this seat. The decision assumes significance in the backdrop of last October's Lakhimpur Kheri violence case, in which four farmers and a local journalist were run over by a car allegedly driven by Ashish Mishra, the son of Union minister and Lakhimpur MP Ajay Mishra ‘Teni.’ In the ensuing violence, two BJP workers and a driver were lynched.
{{/usCountry}}Overall, the list contains names for as many as 13 Scheduled Caste (SC) seats, including Kannauj, from where Asim Arun will contest.
The Uttar Pradesh assembly elections will be held in seven phases, beginning February 10. The following rounds of polling will take place on February 14, 20, 23, 27, March 3 and 7. The counting of votes for all 403 assembly constituencies will be done on March 10.
The BJP previously announced candidature of both chief minister Yogi Adityanath (Gorakhpur Urban) and deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya (Sirathu). Former CM and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav is likely to contest from Karhal, while Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad will contest against Adityanath.