The Samajwadi Party (SP) has finalised its list of four candidates for the Lok Sabha elections in Maharashtra. The list includes Uttar Pradesh MLA Subhash Pasi and former Nanded deputy Mayor Abdul Salam. The SP is contesting the elections in alliance with the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP).
The two parties have formed an alliance in Uttar Pradesh, but in Maharashtra, the SP was initially keen on contesting with the Congress. The SP had demanded any one of the Mumbai South, Mumbai South Central, Bhiwandi, Mumbai North West, or Mumbai North Central seats.
But the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party instead gave the SP the option of contesting either from Mumbai North or Jalna. The SP was left to explore the only remaining option, the BSP, which had earlier announced that it would contest all 48 seats. The two parties officially declared their alliance earlier this month. They have now agreed on a seat-sharing formula of 4-44 wherein the SP will be contesting four seats. They are Mumbai North West, Bhiwandi, Beed, and Nanded.
The SP has finalised the candidature of Mr. Pasi, who is the MLA from Gazipur (U.P.), for Mumbai North West, which consists of Jogeshwari, Goregaon, Juhu, and Vile Parle (West). Mr. Pasi will fight against the Shiv Sena-BJP alliance’s Gajanan Kirtikar and the Congress-NCP alliance’s Sanjay Nirupam. SP’s Mumbai corporator Rais Shaikh said, “Mr. Salam will contest from Nanded.”
The BSP has already announced its list of 15 candidates, who will contest from the Mumbai region and Vidarbha. The remaining names are expected soon.
BSP chief Mayawati and SP chief Akhilesh Yadav will kick off their campaign at a rally in Nagpur on April 5. Mr. Yadav is also expected to hold a rally in Mumbai in April.