BJP declares Mriganka, Avani Singh as candidates for Kairana, Noorpur

While Kairan will be an all-women contest as Mriganka will take on RLD-SP combined candidate Tabassum Hassan, Avani will be facing RLD backed SP candidate Naimul Hasan in Noorpur.
File Image of BJP flag for representational Purposes.
File Image of BJP flag for representational Purposes.

LUCKNOW: With opposition closing ranks ahead of upcoming bypolls in UP, BJP announced its candidates – Mriganka Singh for Kairana parliamentary constituency and Avani Singh for Noorpur Assembly seat  -- here on Tuesday.

The by-election for the two seats is scheduled to be held on May 28. While Mriganka is the daughter of late Hukum Singh who was the sitting MP from Kairana and his demises necessitated the election to the Lok Sabha seat, Avani is the wife of BJP MLA Lokendra Singh, the sitting BJP MLA from Noorpur. He lost his life in an accident on Agra-Lucknow Expressway in February while on way to Lucknow to partcipate in investors’ meet.

While Kairan will be an all-women contest as Mriganka will take on RLD-SP combined candidate Tabassum Hassan, Avani will be facing RLD backed SP candidate Naimul Hasan in Noorpur.

The fight in all probability will be direct between the BJP and a combined opposition as Congress may decide against fielding its candidate so as to stop the division of opposition votes. Similarly, BSP is also not contesting the bypoll as chief Mayawati had already announced that her party would not filed candidate in any bypoll till 2019.

However, Mayawati is believed to be mobilizing her cadre in favour of the RLD and SP candidates at both places. The BJP has gone with the relatives of its sitting lawmakers to take the benefit of
sympathy votes on the two seats as well.

Hukum Singh, a senior BJP leader from Gujjar community, had been a six-time MLA from Kairana. He had been winning the seat since 1980. He lost the seat only in 1991 and 1993 to Janta Dal's Munnwar Hassan. Likewise, Lokendra Singh was an emerging young popular face of the party in Noorpur which he had represented in 2012 and also in 2017 assembly elections.

Sources said that the BJP has already mobilized its vast organisational machinery headed by its chief strategist and party's organisation secretary Sunil Bansal who has been camping in the area for the past one week. The ruling party has also asked its cabinet minister Suresh Rana, party MLA from Thana Bhawan in Shamli district, to campaign in the two constituencies.

Meanwhile, SP and RLD are also not leaving any stone unturned in an attempt to repeat Gorakhpur and Phulpur in Kairana and Noorpur.

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