• By Vivek Raj
  • Thu, 04 Apr 2024 12:14 PM (IST)
  • Source:JND
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Weeks ahead of the first phase of Lok Sabha elections, the Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party (SP) has undergone another round of candidate changes for the Meerut-Hapur Lok Sabha seat. Now, the party has fielded former mayor Sunita Verma in place of Atul Pradhan, who had earlier replaced advocate Bhanu Pratap Singh. This decision marks the second alteration in SP's candidate lineup for the constituency.

Lok Sabha elections are around the corner and the Samajwadi Party is going through a lot of confusion over the candidate selection.

Bhanu Pratap Singh's candidacy for the Meerut-Hapur Lok Sabha seat had been announced two weeks earlier. However, objections arose from party members who deemed Singh an outsider, prompting some to tender their resignations. Seeking resolution, these dissenting leaders traveled to Lucknow to present their concerns before National President Akhilesh Yadav.

A week later, the party decided to field Atul Pradhan from the constituency to take on BJP candidate and veteran actor Arun Govil.

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Atul Pradhan on Wednesday filed his nomination papers but later in the night speculations arose that the party is now looking for some other candidate from the Meerut seat.

On Thursday, Sunita Verma, the wife of former MLA Yogesh Verma, emerged as the new candidate after SP's National President, Akhilesh Yadav, announced the change. After Pradhan was removed as the candidate, speculations were there he might resign from the party. However, Atul Pradhan dismissed all the rumors and affirmed his support for the party chief.

This recent change in candidate selection for the Meerut-Hapur Lok Sabha seat mirrors similar shifts witnessed in other constituencies like Moradabad and Baghpat within the Samajwadi Party.

SP’s Dilemma on Moradabad, Rampur and Baghpat Lok Sabha seat:

In Baghpat, the Samajwadi Party initially fielded Manoj Choudhary as its candidate but later the party handed over the ticket to Amarpal Sharma.

Talking about the Moradabad Lok Sabha seat, SP nominated ST Hasan as its candidate who even filed his nomination papers to contest the election. But confusion arose when former MLA Ruchi Veera also filed nomination papers from the same seat. However, the party clearing the confusion went ahead with Ruchi Veera as its candidate.

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Similarly in Rampur, Asim Raja, who had previously contested the Lok Sabha byelection, filed his nomination calling himself an SP candidate. At the same time, Muhibullah Nadvi also filed his nomination making the same claim. Finally, the party chose Nadvi as their authorised candidate.