LUCKNOW : The rumblings within the Samajwadi Party (SP) camp over ticket distribution came to the fore when two party candidates filed papers each for Moradabad and Rampur Lok Sabha seats on Wednesday, the last day of nomination.
One each from both the seats will have to withdraw till March 30 for the other to contest as the party’s candidate on both the seats.
While in Moradabad, the sitting Samajwadi Party MP ST Hasan filed his papers on Tuesday, BSP turncoat Ruchi Veera did so on Wednesday, claiming she had the party’s official symbol.
In Rampur, while Asim Raja, a close aide of SP stalwart Azam Khan, filed his nomination, Maulana Mohibullah Nadwi, Imam of Jama Masjid at Parliament Street in New Delhi, also filed his papers as the official SP candidate.
Nadwi hails from Rampur but has been based in Delhi for 15 years.
The SP insiders claimed that one candidate in each of the two constituencies — Ruchi Veera in Moradabad and Asim Raja in Rampur — owed allegiance to Azam Khan, while the other two candidates — ST Hasan in Moradabad and Maulana Mohibullah Nadwi in Rampur — were the choice of SP chief Akhilesh Yadav.
The genesis of the confusion lies in the meeting of Yadav and Azam Khan in Sitapur jail recently. Akhilesh had visited Azam to discuss the candidates for Moradabad and Rampur. Khan was miffed with the candidature of ST Hasan and named Ruchi Veera instead.
On the other, with regard to Rampur, Azam wanted either Akhilesh to contest from his (Azam’s) bastion or any member of Yadav family. Meanwhile, irrespective of whatever transpired between the two leaders, Akhilesh declared Maulana Mohibullah Nadwi as the official candidate of SP rejecting Azam Khan’s demand.
Consequently, the Rampur unit of SP rebelled against the official candidate of the party.