INDIA VOTES 2024: Confusion reigns as SP makes changes on 7 seats

Neeraj Mohan

Muzaffarnagar, April 6

In a flurry of last-minute adjustments, the Samajwadi Party (SP) in Uttar Pradesh has changed candidates on multiple seats, leaving both party cadres and potential nominees perplexed.

Akhilesh Yadav’s party has replaced candidates in western Uttar Pradesh and alterations have occurred on seven seats, resulting in some constituencies having witnessed changes three times. It has evoked sharp criticism from BJP leaders, who say that decision reveals the indecisiveness and chaos within the SP.

The latest case involves Sunita Verma, who has emerged as the third candidate for the Meerut Lok Sabha seat after replacing Atul Pradhan, who had earlier replaced Bhanu Pratap Singh. Sunita, a former Meerut mayor, was named new candidate after Akhilesh reportedly held discussions with Pradhan and Yogesh Verma, Sunita’s husband and former MLA.

Both Sunita and her husband Yogesh were formerly affiliated to the BSP but were expelled in 2019 for “anti-party activities” before joining the SP.

While the leadership attributes these changes to requests and recommendations from local leaders and voters’ sentiments, the constant reshuffling has left many disillusioned. Party spokesperson Rajendra Chaudhary has denied any differences within the party and says Akhilesh has carefully considered all aspects before finalising candidates.

PM takes a jibe

Look at the situation of the Samajwadi Party. They are changing their candidates every hour. —Narendra Modi, PM

In Gautam Budh Nagar, the SP had initially named Mahendra Nagar its candidate. It later replaced him with Rahul Awana, only to revert to Mahendra Nagar. In Moradabad, the party initially nominated sitting MP ST Hasan before substituting him with Ruchi Veera. In Baghpat, the candidature shifted from Manoj Chaudhary to Amarpal Sharma just before the deadline. The trend continued in Bijnor, where Yashveer Singh was replaced by Deepak Saini. In Misrikh, Rampal Rajvanshi was initially announced candidate, followed by his son Manoj Kumar Rajvanshi, and eventually his daughter-in-law Sangita Rajvanshi. After the party declared senior leader Shivpal Yadav candidate from the Badaun seat, he started advocating for his son to receive the ticket, adding another layer of complexity to the candidate selection process.

In Rampur, Maulana Moibullah Nadvi and Asim Raja had filed nominations, but the party later decided to support Nadvi.

Party leaders express confidence that the decision of changing the candidates was based on several factors and winnability criteria. While the SP’s decision-making process may seem erratic to some, party leaders maintain that these adjustments are necessary to ensure the best possible chances of success in the polls. Addressing a rally in Saharanpur today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi took a dig at the Samajwadi Party and criticised Akhilesh for its frequent changes in candidates, saying “they seem to occur every hour”. As the western Uttar Pradesh gears up for the Lok Sabha elections, with the polling scheduled for April 19 and 26 in the first and second phases, the SP’s dynamic approach to candidate selection is keeping both supporters and observers on their toes.

Meerut constituency

The latest case involves Sunita Verma, who has emerged as the third candidate for the Meerut seat after replacing Atul Pradhan, who had earlier replaced Bhanu Pratap Singh. Sunita was named new candidate after Akhilesh reportedly held discussions with Pradhan and Yogesh Verma, Sunita’s husband and former MLA.