Abu Salem gets party platform for UP poll

Varanasi, Mar 9 (UNI) Rashtriya Krantikari Samajwadi Party (RKSP) -- a former constituent of V P Singh-Raj Babbar's Jan Morcha -- today reiterated it would field jailed underworld don Abu Salem in coming Uttar Pradesh assembly poll provided all legal hurdles in the process were cleared in time.

''We will certainly field Salem from Mubarakpur seat of Azamgarh district if his name is included in the voter list of the constituency by March 20,'' RKSP national president Gopal Rai said here today.

The RKSP had earlier claimed that the 1993 Mumbai serial blast accused was in touch with the party as his newly floated political outfit Rashtriya Samajwadi Party (RSP) was yet to get clearance from Election Commission.

Interestingly, Salem belongs to the Ansari community, which dominates the population of Mubarakpur constituency, home to the family of the jailed don's sister.

The RKSP president confirming his decision to step out of V P Singh-Raj Babbar led Jan Morcha alleged the multi-party umbrella has veered away from its principles. The two stalwarts, who once sweared against the corrupt regime of the Mulayam Singh Yadav government were now themselves selling the outfit's election tickets for whopping sums, he charged.

Mr Rai, however, announced he was still with the other estranged Jan Morcha partners including Dr Udit Raj's Indian Justice Party (IJP) and Om Prakash Rajbhar's Bharatiya Samaj Party.

He further announced his party would support former bandit turned politician Seema Parihar on the IJP ticket for the by-election to the Mirzapur-Bhadohi parliamentary constituency of East UP.

''We are also going to suppport her candidature in the assembly poll against BSP supremo and former UP chief minister Mayawati,'' Mr Rai added.

The RKSP was registered with the EC in 2003 and has units in seven states including Bihar, UP and Maharashtra.

UNI