The stage is set for the Lok Sabha elections, and it's a countdown to the first phase. Political parties are still declaring candidates for various seats, and leaders are hopping from one party to another. It's the typical election carousel. Uttar Pradesh, the state with the most Lok Sabha seats, is yet to announce candidates for several constituencies. To be precise, there are 7 seats where the BJP and the SP-Congress alliance have not declared their candidates.
The SP has changed candidates multiple times across eight seats
The Congress is in a dilemma over its stronghold seats, but the SP's suspense is even more palpable. In Uttar Pradesh, the SP and Congress have forged an alliance. According to the seat-sharing formula, the Samajwadi Party is contesting in 63 constituencies of the state, but it's so entangled in a complex web that, just before the elections, the party led by Akhilesh Yadav is changing candidates' names within hours for some seats. The party is caught in a cycle of candidate swaps across eight seats.
RLD leader Jayant Chaudhary takes a dig
In a press conference, Akhilesh Yadav was seen saying that their people will go from village to village with the slogan 'Save Democracy by defeating 80'. Commenting on this, RLD leader Jayant Chaudhary took a jab in a Thursday tweet without naming the SP, saying that being a Lok Sabha candidate for a few hours is a privilege for the lucky ones in the opposition! And those whose tickets haven't been cut, their fate…' The dig taken by Jayant Chaudhary has significant implications.
Source: aajtak
Several candidate changes in Meerut
Initially in Meerut, Akhilesh Yadav gave the ticket to Bhanu Pratap Singh. Then the name of Atul Pradhan was finalized. Atul Pradhan filed his nomination. Within 24 hours, the ticket was changed, and Sunita Verma was nominated.
The same 'Meerut Game' happened in Baghpat
While the candidate-switching saga was unfolding in Meerut, a similar situation occurred in Baghpat. First, Jat community's Manoj Chaudhary was given the ticket. However, by Thursday, the ticket was handed to Amar Pal Sharma. Similarly, in Budaun, Dharmendra Yadav was initially given the ticket, and then it was handed to Shivpal Yadav. Now, talks of fielding his son Aditya Yadav are in the air.
Candidates shuffled thrice in some seats
The formula that Akhilesh Yadav crafted, it seems, has trapped him in its vortex. Sometimes they issue a ticket, then it seems weak to them, or dissent erupts within the party. Akhilesh changes the tickets. The Samajwadi Party has replaced candidates in eight constituencies. In two to three, they have changed two to three times.
Candidate switches in Mishrikh, Meerut, Moradabad
Look at the situation in the Mishrikh seat. On February 19, Rampal Rajvanshi received the ticket for Mishrikh, and on March 16, his son Manoj Rajvanshi became the candidate. Now Manoj's wife Sangeeta is the candidate. Likewise, Yashveer Singh was given the ticket from Bijnor on March 15, but it was switched to Deepak Saini on March 24.
Source: aajtak
Akhilesh with a quandary of repetitive candidate changes
While the SP's ticket rotation saga continues, critics question if Akhilesh's strategy will backfire during this crucial election period.
