The Samajwadi Party on Monday declared dismissed Border Security Force constable Tej Bahadur Yadav as its candidate to take on Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Varanasi.
The party moved its candidate, Shalini Yadav, who had joined it recently, to make way for the BSF jawan. The SP is in alliance with the Bahujan Samaj Party and the Rashtriya Lok Dal in Uttar Pradesh.
Mr. Yadav was dismissed from service for indiscipline in 2017 after he posted a video complaining about the quality of food served to the troops in the region along the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir.
By replacing Ms. Yadav with the former BSF constable, the SP hopes to blunt the nationalism narrative of the BJP. Mr. Modi has referred to the Pulwama attack and the Balakot air strikes in his rallies.
Talking to reporters in Varanasi after filing his nomination papers, Mr. Yadav said: “I am the Samajwadi Party’s candidate now. The Samajwadi Party’s issues are now my issues.”
‘Sole objective’
“I was sacked for raising the issue of corruption. My sole objective will be to strengthen the forces and eliminate corruption,” he added.
Senior SP leader Manoj Rai said Mr. Yadav was in touch with the party and its chief Akhilesh Yadav obliged him with a ticket.
The party's Varanasi candidate would focus on issues of jawan, kisan aur naujawan (soldier, farmer and youth), said Mr. Rai, adding that “the fight is between the nakli (fake) chowkidar and asli (real) chowkidar”. Varanasi goes to the polls in the seventh phase of the Lok Sabha election on May 19.
(With PTI inputs)