Former Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Akhilesh Yadav announced that the candidate that is a party will support is Praveen Kumar Nishad. The announcement of candidates from different parties started for the bye-election for the Gorakhpur seat. After Congress and Samajwadi Party announced their candidates, Bhartiya Janata Party also announced Upendra Shukla as their candidate on Monday. Upendra Shuka does not belong to Gorakhnath Temple and this will be the first time when the candidate from BJP is not of that area. He is the regional unit President and he will contest for the Gorakhpur Lok Sabha seat in Uttar Pradesh. The election commission has fixed 11th March as the day for elections. BJP has also nominated Kaushalendra Singh as their candidate from the Phulpur seat.
BJP has placed its bet on the seasonal leader in the organization and Mr. Patel this time. Kaushalendra Singh Patel was mayor of Varanasi and he has been selected as BJP’s candidate because Keshav Prasad Maurya had resigned after his appointment in elections as Deputy Chief Minister. From the seat of Yogi Adityanath, Upendra Shukla have been nominated for Gorakhpur.
The Bhumihars have been BJP’s large vote bank in the state the nomination of Mr. Shuka is seen as its attempt to capture their vote. They are the traditional supporters of the party and from the seat of Phulpur, Kaushalendra Patel has been announced. The elections are scheduled on 11 march with counting three days after of 14 March.
The symbol for Nishad is bicycle which is also the symbol of the Samajwadi party and he is from the Nishad Party. Akhilesh Yadav said that the party is contemplating their candidate from Phulpur constituency and they will announce the name soon. Rahul Gandhi led Congress has said that they will contest election separately from the SP. Rahul Gandhi has selected Manish Mishra, a local leader with great reach as its candidate from Phulpyr constituency and Dr. Sureetha as a candidate against Upendra Shukla.
The candidates for Bihar’s Araria and Bhabhua assembly seats have also been announced by BJP with Pradeep Singh and Rinki Pandey as the respective candidates. 2017 assembly election saw Yogi Adityanath becoming the Chief Minister with Keshav Prasad Maura as his deputy and their seats had been vacant for all this time. The election commission responding to the need for new candidates have announced the election date on 11 March.
Tomorrow is the last day of filing nomination in the UP by-poll elections and the voting will be on 11th of next month and counting three days after. Upendra Shukla is popular in the constituency as he has served as party’s district president and region president also. This year the head priest of Gorakhnath temple has not been selected as the BJP candidate as was the tradition for last twenty-nine years. The temple is important pilgrimage center for the Hindus in the region.
The Phulpur candidate is from the OBC category and he is also Party’s state secretary for two terms consecutively. Kaushalendar Singh Patel was mayor of Varanasi in 2006 when the seat was reserved for backward classes. According to sources, Deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya played a great role in securing the seat for Patel who has also worked in the ABVP as a student leader.
