UP elections: Congress and RLD leaders join BSP, will be fielded in Gangoh and Charthawal

With all eyes on the upcoming elections in Uttar Pradesh, in another major development from the poll-bound state, two leaders from Congress and Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) have ventured into the Bahujan Samaj Party just a few days before the UP elections on Wednesday, January 12. Speaking about the same, BSP supremo Mayawati took to Twitter and informed about the induction of former RLD leader Noman Masood and former Congress leader Salman Saeed in her party. 

Tweeting in Hindi she said, "Salman Sayeed, son of S Saiduzzaman, former Home Minister of Muzaffarnagar district joined BSP on Wednesday, January 12. He left Congress and joined Bahujan Samaj Party." She further added, "Along with this, Noman Masood, nephew of former Union Minister Rashid Masood and brother of Imran Masood also joined Bahujan Samaj Party yesterday, leaving Lok Dal."

Meanwhile, the BSP has fielded Noman from the Gangoh constituency of Uttar Pradesh's Saharanpur district. Earlier, during the 2017 elections, he was defeated by BJP's Pradeep Kumar in the same constituency by a margin of 38,000 votes after which he was again defeated by BJP leader Kirat Singh in 2019 by-polls by a margin of 5,300 votes. 

Apart from Noman, Salman Sayeed who is the son of former Uttar Pradesh minister and Congress leader S Saiduzzaman also left Congress and joined BSP on Wednesday night. He has been fielded from Muzaffarnagar's Charthawal assembly seat. The two leaders met Mayawati last night in Lucknow and it was after that she announced their entry into her party. 

Mayawati to not contest UP elections

While dates for assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh have been announced by the Election Commission of India, votings will be held in seven phases starting from February 10. Later, the counting of votes will take place on March 10. 

Earlier on Tuesday, BSP secretary-general, Satish Chandra Misra announced that party chief and former CM Mayawati will not contest UP elections this year and she will be supervising the party's election campaign for Uttar Pradesh and the other two poll-bound states. Misha who is Rajya Sabha MP has also stepped out from fighting the elections this year. 

Image: PTI