Congress declares three mayor candidates, BJP announces one

Mahima Devi and Bulbul Godiyal. (Express photo: Vishal Srivastav)

The Congress on Monday declared mayoral candidates for three significant municipal corporations — Lucknow, Gorakhpur and Allahabad — for the urban local body elections. From Lucknow, the Congress fielded retired bureaucrat Kusum Sharma. Kusum, who said she had retired in 2016, is the daughter of retired District Judge S N Sharma.

Speaking about Kusum, Congress spokesperson Virendra Madan told The Indian Express, “She is a retired bureaucrat and daughter of a retired district judge, and has been an active social worker as well.” Asked when she had joined Congress, he said, “She is part of Congress.”

Kusum had served as commissioner of rural development from 2002-2004, and managing director of Mahila Kalyan Nigan of UP government from 2007-2009, among other positions.

From Allahabad, the Congress declared BJP rebel Vijay Mishra as the mayoral candidate. Mishra had joined the Congress recently from BJP, as he had been unhappy ever since he was denied a ticket in the 2017 Assembly elections.

Congress leaders said that Mishra had contested the 2006 mayoral election as a BJP candidate in Allahabad, and had lost to Congress’s Chaudhary Jitendra Nath.

“He (Mishra) is a good candidate, and all the workers are going to support him. In 2006, he had come third and lost to the Congress candidate, but had got about 58,000 votes. We are confident of our win with his candidature,” said Anil Dwivedi, district Congress president, Allahabad.

From Gorakhpur, the Congress fielded Rakesh Yadav, who has been associated with the party for a long time.

Sources said though Yadav himself had not contested any election in the past, his mother had once contested in the election for corporator.

“Caste was not the factor in this case. We were looking for a candidate who could contest with passion, and everyone agreed on his name,” said a senior Congress functionary in Gorakhpur.

Meanwhile, the BJP on Monday announced sitting Mayor Abhilasha Gupta as the candidate from Allahabad. Gupta is the wife of state Cabinet minister Nanda Gopal Gupta “Nandi”.The first phase of the elections will be held on November 22.