Less than a month after two Samajwadi Party MPs - Surendra Singh Nagar and Sanjay Seth –quit the Rajya Sabha to join the Bharatiya Janata Party on August 10, the BJP’s Central Election Committee named them as the party candidates for the Upper House on Monday.
Before them, the BJP had similarly nominated former Prime Minister the late Chandra Shekhar’s son Neeraj Shekhar, to the Upper House, to which he was elected unopposed. Shekhar too had quit the Samajwadi Party and his Rajya Sabha membership to join the BJP.
Nagar, a key Gurjar leader from west UP, and Seth, the SP’s former treasurer were considered close to SP leadership as was the case with Neeraj Shekhar, a party leader said emphasising the party plan to get key opposition leaders to their side.
Both Nagar and Seth had hailed Modi and backed the BJP’s stand on nullification of Article 370, ending special status to Jammu and Kashmir.
The BJP has also named former lawmaker Yuvraj Singh, as its candidate for Hamirpur assembly by-poll. Of the 13 assembly seats where by-polls are due in the state, the election commission has so far announced polls just for Hamirpur.
The Hamirpur by-poll was required after the disqualification of BJP’s sitting lawmaker Ashok Singh Chandel after his conviction in a murder case.
{{/usCountry}}The Hamirpur by-poll was required after the disqualification of BJP’s sitting lawmaker Ashok Singh Chandel after his conviction in a murder case.
{{/usCountry}}Ironically, when Chandel was named party candidate in the 2017 UP polls, Yuvraj Singh had protested against his candidature.