Battle for UP: Protest in parties over candidate selection

Lucknow, Jan 17 (SocialNews.XYZ) The announcement of candidates by the various political parties for the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections is leading to protests by respective party workers.

Soon after the declaration of the BJP candidates on Saturday, protests erupted in Nauganva Sadat seat in Amroha, where sitting MLA Sangeeta Chauhan, wife of late UP cabinet minister Chetan Chauhan, was replaced by Devender Nagpal.

Effigies were burnt and slogans were raised against Nagpal and the BJP in general.

A Samajwadi Party worker was detained on Sunday evening after he allegedly tried to self-immolate himself outside the party office in Lucknow, claiming that he had been denied a ticket to contest the Assembly polls.

"I have spent my entire youth working for the party. I have worked for the party in Aligarh for the last 5 years. I want justice," said Thakur Aditya, the SP worker.

Similarly, in Shamli, Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) workers were upset over the announcement of BJP turncoat Prasann Chaudhary as its candidate.

In a recently-held panchayat, senior RLD leader Arvind Pawar said, "Prasann Chaudhary is the same person who distributed sweets when RLD supremo Ajit Singh was defeated in Muzaffarnagar in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. At the same time those workers who had been with the RLD in difficult times have been side-lined. We do not support this move."

Sunil Rohta, RLD spokesperson, explained, "Politics is about compulsions and adjustments. In the prevailing circumstances, senior leaders have taken a decision which is in the interest of the party. We will explain this situation to those dejected. They will come around."

Similarly, effigies were burnt across Muzaffarnagar and Baghpat a night before the BJP was to release its first list of 107 candidates. The protests were against former MLC Prashant Gurjar, who has been named a candidate.

The BJP workers too burnt effigies of Yogesh Dhama in Baghpat.

Both candidates are there on the list of 107 candidates released by the BJP on Saturday.

"Ours is a disciplined party with a disciplined cadre. This is the opposition's gameplan to give an impression that BJP workers are not happy. Our investigation has revealed that in some places like Baghpat, it was RLD workers who burned effigies of Yogesh Dhama. Other regions too have the similar situation," said UP west vice president of BJP Manoj Poswal.

The Congress has been facing protests in Meerut, Lakhimpur and several other constituencies, including Sarojini Nagar in Lucknow over ticket distribution.

Source: IANS