Resentment is brewing in the Samajwadi Party over “preferential treatment” being given to some in ticket distribution for the Lok Sabha elections.
Some senior leaders are said to be unhappy at the manner in which the names have been added to and deleted from the list of candidates.
The former MP from Gonda, Kirti Vardhan Singh, resigned from the party on Friday, citing the dominance of one family in the party and irreconcilable differences with the leadership. In his letter of resignation to party president Mulayam Singh, Mr. Singh said he was disappointed that he was denied nomination.
In May last year, Mr. Singh’s name was deleted from the list and the local MLA, Nandita Shukla, was nominated. A few days later, the ticket for Gonda was given to Ms. Shukla’s son, Rahul Shukla. Thereafter, Ms. Shukla was renamed the SP candidate for the seat.
Mr. Singh, son of Agriculture Minister Anand Singh, has attributed the ticket denial to his campaign against the cattle mafia in Gonda district. He is likely to join the BJP and contest from Gonda, now represented by Steel Minister Beni Prasad Verma.
For Sambhal, a prestigious seat in western Uttar Pradesh, the sitting Bahujan Samaj Party MP, Shafiqur Rehman Barq, is said to be given the ticket at the expense of Javed Ali Khan.
Mr. Khan, considered the choice of national general secretary Ram Gopal Yadav, was earlier named the candidate.
