Ex union minister says Rae Bareli bypoll will upset all calculations

Lucknow, Apr 20 (UNI) Former Union Minister and senior leader of ruling Samajwadi Party Beni Prasad Verma today claimed that the outcome of the May Eight Rae Bareli parliamentary bypoll will surprise everyone.

Interacting with mediapersons here Mr Verma, whose son in law Rajkumar Chowdhary is contesting as the SP candidate against AICC president Sonia Gandhi in the bypoll, said that Chowdhary will not only put up a strong fight but may even upset pollsters calculations.

Mr Verma also claimed that the BJP had fielded firebrand leader Vinay Katiyar only to help the AICC president, as the real fight was between Ms Gandhi and Mr Chowdhary.

Meanwhile, the SP has constituted an election steering committee for the high profile bypoll.

The Committee constituted by SP general secretary and State PWD minister Shiv Pal Singh Yadav, will be headed by Rae Bareli District Party President Ram Naresh Yadav and will also have Ashok Singh, D P Singh, Ram Lal Akela, Mayankeshwar Sharan Singh, Asha Kishore.

The Party has also appointed election in charge for all five assembly seats forming the Rae Bareli parliamentary constituency.

They include Vir Pal Singh Yadav (MP), Rakesh Singh Rana (MLC), Uma Shankar Chowdhary and Arvind Kumar Singh.

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