Kairana bypoll: Lok Dal candidate withdraws in favour of RLD nominee

In a major boost to opposition unity, the Lok Dal candidate on Thursday withdrew in favour of his sister-in-law and Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) nominee Tabassum Hasan in the Kairana Lok Sabha by-election in Uttar Pradesh .

The bypoll was necessitated by the death of BJP MP Hukum Dev Singh, who won the seat in 2014 by a huge margin in a bitterly polarised contest following communal riots in the region.

The BJP is defending Kairana against a united opposition in the byelection. Its candidate, Hukum Dev Singh’s daughter Mriganka, is up against Tabassum Hasan, who is contesting on an Rashtriya Lok Dal ticket and has the support of the Samajwadi Party (SP), the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and the Congress party as well.

The Lok Dal support, which could unite the minority vote in favour of the RLD, could make the going tough for Mriganka Singh.

Voting will be held in Kairana on May 28.

Kairana is a prestige fight for the BJP following the defeat of its candidates to those of the SP, supported by the BSP, in by-elections to the Lok Sabha from Gorakhpur and Phulpur in March. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is campaigning in the area to ensure that there was no repeat of the Lok Sabha by-elections.

(with agency inputs)