UP elections: NCP's KK Sharma to contest from Anupshahr seat as SP-NCP joint candidate

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) national general secretary KK Sharma will contest the Uttar Pradesh election from Anupshahr (067) seat in Bulandshahr district. This development comes a day after NCP president Sharad Pawar confirmed an alliance with the Akhilesh Yadav-led party for the 2022 UP elections.

Earlier in the day, UP NCP chief Umashankar Yadav also met Akhilesh Yadav and discussed upcoming polls. Taking to Twitter, Samajwadi Party informed, "NCP's Uttar Pradesh President Shri Umashankar Yadav Ji met Honorable National President Shri Akhilesh Yadav Ji and discussed the election. NCP leader Shri KK Sharma Ji will be the joint candidate of the SP-NCP alliance from the Anupshahr – 067 assembly seat of Bulandshahr. Twenty-two will witness change."

BJP minister Swami Prasad Maurya joins SP

The announcement of the NCP-SP alliance came close in the heels of key MLAs of BJP switching sides to the Akhilesh Yadav-led party. On Tuesday, Uttar Pradesh cabinet minister and Swami Prasad Maurya resigned from the Yogi cabinet and joined Samajwadi Party. Speaking to Republic Media Network, he said that by tendering his resignation, he has sounded an alarm. He also accused the ruling BJP government of neglecting youth and backward classes. Along with him, three other BJP MLAs  Bhagwati Prasad Sagar (Bilhaur), Roshan Lal Verma (Tilhar) and Brijesh Prajapati (Tindwari) also joined Akhilesh's party.

NCP supremo Sharad Pawar also held a press conference and claimed that 13 more MLAs will join Maurya and quit the saffron party. "Change is coming in UP. People in UP want a change. Today Maurya Ji resigned and he joined the Samajwadi Party. 13 more MLAs and fellows are about to join the SP in the coming days. Some new face will come every day," said Sharad Pawar. 

"Attempts are being made to strengthen the communal ideology in UP. I heard the statement of CM Yogi on '80 and 20%. Who can be 20%? Everything is ours except -20%. This is a statement that is hurting the minority of the country. Such a statement does not suit a Chief Minister. The people of UP will give a befitting reply to this and bring change," he added.