SP leaders, supporters celebrate Mulayam contesting from Azamgarh

Azamgarh/

, March 19: It was a second "Holi" for local leaders and supporters of

's ruling Samajwadi Party here on Tuesday as they celebrated the news of party chief

contesting from Azamgarh Lok Sabha seat, splashing colour and distributing sweets.

SP workers sprayed colours on each other, distributed sweets and danced to the drum beats in Azamgarh, Varanasi and Chandauli districts.

SP rank and file believe the party chief contesting in Azamgarh, nearly 100km from here, could check the growing influence of BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi in eastern UP belt

Modi is a nominee from Varanasi Lok Sabha seat. Samajwadi Party MLA from Saiyadraja constituency Manoj Kumar Singh told PTI that "there is only one person who could stop Modi's rising influence in Purvanchal and he is Mulayam Singh Yadav.

SP believes that Mulayam contesting from Azamgarh will help the party

His candidature from Azamgarh had made all the communal forces hopeless in the entire region".

Singh alleged Modi is trying to woo voters on false promises and wrong projections of Gujarat development model. and claimed the SP government in the state had done enough work for the upliftment of all castes like giving laptops, Kanya Vidya dhan and other facilities not just to Muslims but also to Hindus, Christians and Jains.

PTI