Coolie among 73 LJP candidates for UP poll

Varanasi, Mar 22 (UNI) Union minister and Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) president Ram Vilas Paswan today released the list of 73 candidates for Uttar Pradesh assembly poll.

The list includes Amiruddin Khan -- a coolie at the Varanasi railway station -- who has been fielded by the LJP from Deoria seat of Deoria district of East UP.

The list also includes 12 Muslim candidates and three women.

The other Muslims candidates are Inayat Hussain Siddiqui from Khaga seat, Moinuddin (Ghosi), Anis Siddiqui (Mhasi), Abdul Razzak Mansoori (Bangar Mau), Shehzad Khan (Ferozabad), Asim Ali (Garh Mukteshwar), Altaf Haidar (Moradabad Dehat), Mohd Nasim (Bhinaga), Shaiyyad Ejarul Hassan (Swar Tanda), Shehnaz Bano (Sevrahi) and Nizam Hussain (Moradabad City).

Besides, Shehnaz Bano from Sevrahi two other women fielded by the LJP are Laxmi Devi from Manjhanpur (Reserved) and Meera Dohre from Bilhaur (Reserved).

Mr Paswan said the party has decided to contest only 73 of 403 seats in UP leaving the remaining seats for its alliance partners, including V P Singh-Raj Babbar's Jan Morcha, CPI and UDF.

''No decision has yet been taken by LJP over the Rari seat of neighbouring Jaunpur district, which was represented in the outgoing Vidhan Sabha by muscleman-turned-politician Dhananjay Singh, who won the seat on the LJP ticket.'' UNI