DEHRADUN: Following the alliance formed between the Samajwadi Party and the Congress in Uttar Pradesh for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, the Samajwadi Party has now asserted its claim for the Haridwar seat in Uttarakhand.
Since the formation of the state of Uttarakhand, a candidate from the Samajwadi Party has previously won in this constituency during a Lok Sabha election.
Additionally, a candidate from SP has also been successful in an assembly election here. The leadership has established a deadline of March 10 to reach a final decision on contesting for this seat.
According to electoral calculations, the Samajwadi Party considers the Haridwar seat beneficial for itself based on its vote bank. Since the victory of party candidate Amarish Kumar in the 1996 assembly elections and candidate Rajendra Kumar in the 2004 Lok Sabha elections, SP has been employing its winning strategy on this seat in every election. This time as well, the focus of the state's SP leaders is on this seat, and preparations are underway.
In the meantime, an alliance has been established between the Samajwadi Party and the Congress in Uttar Pradesh, on the basis of which Uttrakhand wing of SP has staked claim for the Haridwar Loksabha seat. The party leadership is currently deliberating on this matter.
Shambhunath Pokhriyal, the state president of Samajwadi Party, has stated, "A decision on this issue has been deferred by the leadership until March 10."
The national secretary of SP, Dr Satya Narayan Sachan, told The New Indian Express, "The decision regarding fielding candidates in Uttarakhand has not been finalized by the party's high command. Currently, the party has only laid claim to the Haridwar seat, and further deliberations will determine whether a Samajwadi Party candidate will contest in Uttarakhand or not."