Close on the heels of Samajwadi Party’s naming of Pawan Katiyar as the official party candidate for Sikandara Assembly by-election, Congress declared erstwhile rebel leader Prabhakar Pandey as its candidate on Thursday. The Sikandra Assembly by-election will be held on December 21.
Uttar Pradesh Congres Committee (UPCC) spokeman, Amarnath Agarwal confirmed here on Thursday afternoon that the name of Pradesh Congress Committee member Pandey was approved by the committee’s selection panel.
In the 2017 Assembly elections, Pandey rebelled after the party denied him ticket and contested on the symbol of Nishad party. The Congress had not fielded any candidate and left the field open for Samajwadi Party candidate Seema Sachan. Congress had fought the last Assembly elections in alliance with the Samajwadi Party. However, Pandey lost his deposit, while Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) candidate Mathura Prasad Pal won the seat. The bypoll was necessitated following the death of Pal in July. The last date for filing of nomination is December 4.