SP fields sacked BSF jawan Tej Bahadur Singh against Modi in Varanasi

File photo of BSF jawan Tej Bahadur Singh and Narendra Modi

Varanasi, Apr 29: Sacked Border Security Force (BSF) constable Tej Bahadur Yadav on Monday replaced Shalini Yadav as joint candidate of the Samajwadi Party, Bahujan Samaj Party and Rashtriya Lok Dal from Varanasi to take on Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Lok Sabha elections 2019.

The former jawan had earlier planned to contest the election as an independent candidate.

He had termed the 2019 Varanasi battle as 'asli' versus 'nakli' chowkidar.

"It is an equal fight, on the one side you have an ' Asli Chowkidar' (real watchman) and on the other side, you have a ' Nakli Chowkidar (fake watchman)".

Who is Tej Bahadur Yadav?

In 2017, Yadav had posted four videos on Facebook complaining about the unpalatable food at his camp along the Indo-Pakistan border in Jammu and Kashmir. Yadav had further alleged that the senior officials illegally sold off the food supplies meant for the troopers.

The videos triggered outrage across the nation, but the BSF dismissed his allegations.

In 2018, the BSF commissioned an inquiry into the state of the food served to the Armed Forces, which later claimed that "97 per cent of BSF personnel" were satisfied with their meals.

He was later sacked after a three-month-long proceeding at a summary court-martial held in Jammu and Kashmir's Samba district.

Shalini Yadav is the daughter-in-law of former Rajya Sabha Deputy chairperson Shyam Lal Yadav.She had unsuccessfully run for the Mayoral poll of Varanasi Municipal Corporation in 2017 from the Congress.

Her father-in-law was a senior Congress leader and had represented Varanasi in the Parliament.

Varanasi will go to polls on May 19. The counting of votes will take place on May 23.