LUCKNOW: The ongoing tug-of-war in the first family of Samajwadi Party was very much evident when mafia don-turned-politician, Atique Ahmad, facing a number of murders, kidnapping and extortion cases, figured in the list of 23 candidates announced by SP state chief Shivpal Yadav here on Saturday. Atique has got party ticket from prestigious Kanpur Cantt seat.
After the merger of mafia don Mukhtar Ansari-led Quami Ekta Dal (QED) with SP despite chief minister Akhilesh Yadav’s strong objections in October, this has come as a certain blow to his efforts to
project his party as an outfit which is free from hooligans and mafia dons. However, on Saturday, Mukhtar’s elder brother and QED leader Sigbatullah Ansari was also given ticket from Moahammadpur seat in Ghazipur district.
According to the list, Abdullah Azam, son of Azam Khan, who is a known for his resistance to ‘pariwarwaad’ (dynastic rule), has also got party ticket from Swaar constituency. Moreover, Shivpal announced Haseemuddin Siddiqui, brother of senior BSP leader Naseemuddin Siddiqui, as the party candidate from Banda.
Prominent among other names figuring on the latest list are Sharafat Yaar Khan from Meerganj, Rajesh Agarwal from Bareilly (City), Abdul Manna from Sandeela and Virendra Solanki from Amapur. According to the Saturday list, seven sitting MLAs have been denied tickets for the upcoming polls.