After confusion over LS face, SP troubles mount in Moradabad

WITH JUST over a week to go for the Lok Sabha polls, the battle for Moradabad is getting intriguing by the day. The latest twist came on Monday with the Samajwadi Party (SP) replacing its district chiefdpy ad av withjai veer ya dav.

The move has again brought to the fore the infighting that erupted within the SP in Moradabad after it replaced sitting M PST Has an with Ruchi Veera, who is seen as jailed party leader Azam Khan’s pick.

Sources saiddpy ad av was replaced as his participation in Veera’s campaign was not “up to the party’s expectations”. Hasan has already distanced himself from Veera’s campaign. All eyes are now on SP chief Akhilesh Yadav’s rally on April 14, with Jaiveer saying he would persuade senior leaders to convince Hasan to join it. “It will send out a good message to voters if Hasan sahab comes out in support,” he said.

Justifying the change , SP state president Na reshUtt am said DP Yadav was taking decisions unilaterally. A section of SP leaders also feel replacing has an, a former mayor who is popular in the area, with Veera – a Hindu – can move a section of Muslim voters towards the BSP, which has fielded Irfan Saifi, a local Muslim leader.

Muslims, who are a key SP vote bank, make up almost 47% of the 17 lakh voters. With the BJP making a focused push to woo Pasmanda Muslims, there is also possibility of a split in the Muslim vote, helping BJP candidate Kunwar Sarvesh Kumar. In 2014, Kumar had won Moradabad, defeating Hasan. In 2019, Hasan had won, possibly due to the consolidation of Muslim votes as the SP and BSP were in alliance.

Since its inception in 1992, the Sp has always fielded muslim candidatesfrom these at. sources said the party hopes fielding Veera, a Bani ya, will help it get some uppercaste votes and ne gate the potential loss of Muslim votes.

The SP is bracing for trouble from its ally Congress in Moradabad. Congress state vice president m oh am madrizvanh as accused veer a of having“a bad attitude” and has said he would stay “neutral”. Veera’s representative Su ni lb hardwaj, though, said there was good coordination between the SP and Congress. But the open declaration by Rizvan comes against the absence of coordinationbetween the parties’ workers on the ground.

According to district congress president as lamkhu rs heed, there was also some natural disappointment within the Congress as the people wanted the party to contestthem or ada bad seat .“but now we are ensuring full cooperation. The Congress has a good followingin the muslim community. we are appealing to them to support Veera so that Rahul Gandhi can become the prime minister,” he said, while adding that Hasan keeping his distance would not affect the outcome in these at.