Chandrashekhar Azad enters UP electoral politics after Bihar, fields candidate in bypolls

Hinting at a massive shift in electoral politics in Uttar Pradesh, the Chandra Shekhar Azad-led Azad Samaj Party on Sunday announced its first poll candidate for the upcoming UP bypolls. Fielding its candidate - Haji Yameen, Azad announced that he will hit the streets of Bulandshahr on Sunday, to campaign for him. Azad launched his party in March, vowing to contest polls. Invoking BSP Supremo Kanshiram's principles, Azad said his party would 'carry forward his legacy to establish the rule of Bahujans', locking horns directly with BSP Supremo Mayawati.

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Azad's poll debut in UP

In Bulandshahr, Yameen faces BJP's Usha Sirohi, wife of late minister Virendra Singh Sirohi. The seat which is up for bypolls due to Sirohi's death, is sought by RLD's Praveen Singh, BSP's   Mohammad Yunus and Congress' Sushil Chaudhary. Recently, UP CM Yogi Adityanath kicked off his UP by-poll election rally by campaigning for Usha Sirohi at Bulandshahr. The seat has been consecutively held by BJP, SP, and BSP for the past 30 years.

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UP by-polls

Seven state assembly seats in Uttar Pradesh will go to polls on November 3 and the results would be declared on November 10. Of the seven seats, five seats - Tundla, Ghatamput, Naugaon, Bulandshahr, Deoria, Malhani are up for polls due to demise of the sitting MLA - two due to COVID. The other seat Bangarmau is up for polls due to BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar was convicted in a rape case. As BJP had won six of the seven seats in 2017, it has fielded 7 candidates. Surprisingly, Congress, BSP and Samajwadi party too have fielded candidates on all seven seats each, hinting at a close battle in 2022 elections. 

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Azad fights Bihar polls

Wading into mainstream politics officially, Azad has also teamed with Pappu Yadav's Jan Adhikar Party (JAP), MK Faizi's Social Democratic Party and Bahujan Mukti Party to form the 'Progressive Democratic Alliance (PDA)' and contest the upcoming Bihar polls. Declaring Pappu Yadav as its CM face, Azad said, "A progressive democratic coalition has been launched to save Bihar, to establish social justice, to end caste tyranny, to ensure the participation of the underprivileged". This coalition faces  NDA, Mahagathbandhan and Grand Democratic Secular Front - comprising of AIMIM, RLSP, BSP, SJDD and SBSP. Bihar will vote in 3 phases - October 28, November 3, and November 7, with the results being declared on November 10.

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