BSP releases first list of 11 candidates, Danish Ali gets ticket

Lucknow, Mar 22: The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) on Friday released its first list for the national elections announcing names of 11 candidates, fielding former JD(S) leader Danish Ali from Amroha.

Ali, who was general secretary of the Janata Dal (Secular), quit that party and joined the Bahujan Samaj Party only last week.

The BSP declared Haji Fazulrahman its nominee from Saharanpur, Malook Nagar from Bijnore and Girish Chandra from Nagina, a party statement said.

Hazi Mohammad Yakoob has been fielded from Meerut, Satbeer Nagar from Gautam Buddh Nagar, Yogesh Verma from Bulandshahr, Ajit Baliyan from Aligarh, Manoj Kumar Soni from Agra, Rajveer Singh from Fatehpur Sikri and Ruchi Veera from Aonla.

Danish Ali, 54, joined the BSP amid speculation that his new party might field him from Amroha in western Uttar Pradesh.

Ali had then said he had the blessings of JD(S) chief H D Deve Gowda to make the switch, a claim later confirmed by his old party.

A native of Hapur district in Uttar Pradesh, Ali said he was not able to establish the JD(S) in the state. The BSP is contesting 38 of the 80 Lok Sabha constituencies in Uttar Pradesh under the seat-sharing arrangement with Samajwadi Party and the Rashtriya Lok Dal.

The SP will contest 37 seats and the RLD three. The alliance has left Amethi and Raebareli for the Congress, even though it is not a part of it.

Mayawati recently said the BSP will not have an alliance with the Congress in any state.