After initially rejecting his candidacy for the Aonla parliamentary seat in Uttar Pradesh, the returning officer eventually accepted Abid Ali's nomination form as the BSP’s official candidate.
Ali's nomination from the Aonla Lok Sabha constituency was approved after initial rejection on Saturday. The conflict arose when two BSP candidates, Satvir Singh and Abid Ali, filed their nominations on the BSP symbol, both claiming to be the party's official candidate. BSP supremo Mayawati however steppeed in to resolve the issue by endorsing Abid Ali's candidature.
In a video conferencing with the returning officer, the BSP Supremo recognised Abid Ali as the official candidate of the BSP while emphasising that an FIR should be registered against Satyaveer Singh.
BSP claims conspiracy
Amid the chaos, BSP leaders, including Abid Ali and party district president Rajiv Kumar Singh, now claim a larger conspiracy in the incident. Ali, on his part, alleged that Satvir Singh colluded with SP candidate Neeraj Maurya, to sway Muslim voters in Maurya's favor, resulting in turmoil. Ali also tearfully appealed to the people to teach a lesson to Neeraj Maurya.
Meanwhile, an FIR has been registered against Satvir Singh for forging party President Mayawati's signature on his nomination form. Reportedly, the FIR has been filed on the party district president's complaint.
Aonla will vote on May 7
It is pertinent to note that the Aonla parliamentary seat will go on polls in the third phase of the Lok Sabha elections, i.e., on May 7. The outxome will decide the fate of the candidates vying for the seat. Samajwadi Party has fielded Neeraj Mourya from the seat. while the BJP's present MP, Dharmendra Kashyap, is eyeing a second term in the seat.
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