BJP names two more candidates

LUCKNOW: The Bharatiya Janata Party announced two more tickets, both to OBC leaders, in pollbound Uttar Pradesh (UP) on Tuesday.

Those named include Chhatrapal Gangwar, minister of state from Baheri assembly segment of Bareilly and Bahoranlal Maurya from Bhojipura, who is currently a sitting lawmaker. Both the tickets couldn’t be declared earlier due to lack of unanimity, party leaders said.

With this, the party, top leaders of which are in Delhi discussing candidates for third, fourth and fifth phase seats, has declared 109 candidates so far, majority of them being OBCs (46)and dalits(19). The list also has 44 upper caste candidates.

Asked when the party would declare its proper second list, BJP leaders said that the party had finalized the names and the announcement would be made soon. “The next list would also clear the air on the party’s seatsharing formulae as part of which it would also distribute seats to its allies,” a party leader said. Nishad Party leader Sanjay Nishad has said that his party is likely to get 15 seats as part of an arrangement with the BJP. Apna Dal leader Anupriya Patel has not revealed the number of seats her party is eyeing. “Let the list come, then everything would be clear,” she told the media. Both Nishad and Patel have held several rounds of talks with the BJP’s top leaders. The party has also fielded chief minister Yogi Adityanath from Gorakhpur (urban) seat and deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya from Sirathu assembly segment of Kaushambi.

THE PARTY HAS DECLARED 109 CANDIDATES SO FAR, MAJORITY OF THEM BEING OBCS (46)AND DALITS(19)