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Congress changes Raj Babbar’s seat to Fatehpur Sikri
In another change, former UP minister Naseemuddin Siddiqui, who joined the Congress after leaving the BSP, has been fielded from Bijnor, from where Indira Bhatti was named earlier.
The Congress has changed the seat allotted to Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee (UPCC) president Raj Babbar from Moradabad to Fatehpur Sikri. Imran Pratapgarhiya is now the party’s candidate from Moradabad where the BJP has fielded its sitting MP Kunwar Sarvesh Kumar.
In another change, former UP minister Naseemuddin Siddiqui, who joined the Congress after leaving the BSP, has been fielded from Bijnor, from where Indira Bhatti was named earlier.
These were among the picks for nine Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh that the party declared in its seventh list of candidates.
Speaking at a press conference in Agra, Babbar said, “Meri janmbhoomi ne mujhe bulaya aur main buzurgon se ashirwad lene aa gaya.” (My birth place called out to me and I came here to take blessings from my elders). Born in Agra and having studied at an intermediate college here, the senior Congress leader is considered a local.
Although his name appeared as the party’s candidate from Moradabad, the fact that he had been touring the rural belt of Fatehpur Sikri triggered speculation that he would eventually change his constituency. He has won parliamentary elections from the Agra Lok Sabha seat twice -- in 1999 and 2004.
In 2009, he contested from the Fatehpur Sikri parliamentary constituency but lost to Bahujan Samaj Party’s Seema Upadhayaya, who, till recently, was preparing to contest again from the seat. However, all of sudden, she withdrew her candidature and later, Rajveer Singh, a relatively unknown face, was named BSP’s candidate from Fatehpur Sikri.
Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) named a new candidate in Sikri, Rajkumar Chahar, in place of sitting MP Chaudhary Babulal.
When contacted UP Congress spokesperson Ashok Singh recalled that Babbar had earlier fought from Fatehpur Sikri. “He knows the constituency very well,” Singh said. “Apart from this, prior to delimitation, assembly segments of the current Fatehpur Sikri parliamentary constituency were a part of the Agra Lok Sabha seat, from where he has already won,” Singh added.
While announcing his candidature, Babbar was flanked by former BSP MLAs Dharam Pal Singh, Suraj Pal Singh and Bhagwan Singh Kushwaha who joined the Congress on Saturday.
Standing close by was Anil Chaudhary, who recently resigned from his post as the western UP president of the Rashtriya Lok Dal and joined the Congress on Friday night in Delhi, in the presence of party president Rahul Gandhi, western UP incharge Jyotiraditya Scindia and eastern UP incharge Priyanka Gandhi.
Also present was Keshav Dixit, who has contested from Agra on a BJP ticket, but joined the Congress on Saturday.
Among others, Triloki Ram Bhatti has been made the party candidate from Hathras (SC) while Preeta Harit has been fielded from Agra (SC) seat.
Former MP Praveen Aron has been fielded again from Bareilly, while Virendra Kumar Verma becomes the party candidate from Hardoi (SC) Lok Sabha seat.
The party has fielded Bal Kumar Patel from Banda and Girish Chandra Rai from Kaushambi (SC) Lok Sabha seat.
Meanwhile, Haryanvi folk dancer and singer Sapna Chaudhary joined the Congress in New Delhi on Saturd
