Former BSP MP to contest Kairana bypoll on RLD ticket

LUCKNOW: With the opposition parties in UP all set to put up a joint candidate for Kairana Lok Sabha seat for a one-to-one contest with ruling BJP, the bypoll is bound to be seen as a dry run of 2019 elections.

The decision of a joint opposition candidate came in a meeting between Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav and Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) vice-president Jayant Chaudhary after consent from BSP leadership on all parties joining hands to counter BJP in the May 28 bypoll. The BSP traditionally does not contest bypolls and the Congress is yet to announce its candidate.

Talking to TOI, Jayant confirmed the decision to field former BSP MP Tabassum Begum on RLD ticket from Kairana. Sources said Akhilesh and Jayant are likely to address a joint press conference in Lucknow on Sunday and formally announce the candidature of Tabassum from Kairana.

There are reports that the two leaders may also finalise the schedule of their joint campaign.

By fielding Tabassum, the opposition will attempt to dispel the notion of Jats and Muslims not coming together after Muzaffarnagar riots.

Initially, there were reports that RLD chief Ajit Singh’s son Jayant will contest from Kairana but the proposal did not go through since RLD’s lone MLA Sahendra Singh had cross-voted in favour of BJP, contributing to BSP candidate’s defeat in Rajya Sabha polls. BSP chief Mayawati had then issued a statement saying she will re-consider the possibility of aligning with RLD in future after which the MLA was sacked from the party.

For SP, the idea of supporting Tabassum on RLD ticket is a win-win situation as it was apprehensive of fielding a Muslim candidate itself, particularly in the light of BJP’s ‘Qabristan-Shamshan’ jibe during UP assembly elections last year charging SP of being pro-Muslim. After her stint as BSP MP, Tabassum had joined SP and is presently an active member of the party. Besides, SP will now field its own candidate for Noorpur assembly bypoll. Kairana parliamentary and Noorpur assembly bypolls were necessitated after the death of sitting BJP MP Hukum Singh and MLA Lokendra Singh.