The Uttar Pradesh unit of Congress party on Saturday announced it will support the Samajwadi Party (SP) in the Ghosi Assembly byelection, which is scheduled for September 5. Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Ajay Rai asked the party leaders and the workers to fully support and campaign for the SP candidate. “I request all party workers to fully support Sudhakar Singh ji (SP candidate) in the Ghosi byelections and make him victorious by huge margin. It is my request,” said Mr. Rai, the newly appoint state head in a video message.
Speaking with The Hindu, Congress leaders describing the SP as partner under Indian National Developmental, Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc who wants to save country’s democracy, adding that the party leaders and workers at the local level will campaign for the SP candidate to make sure the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) gets defeated in the crucial bypolls.
“The issues of unemployment and tensions between communities, social groups is rising under the BJP-regime. For the sake of protecting India’s democracy and its basic tenants, we have decided to offer support to the SP, which is part of our INDIA block, in the Ghosi bypolls,” said Anil Yadav, organisational secretary, Uttar Pradesh Congress. The Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD), an ally of the SP, also extended support for the SP nominee in Ghosi.
The bypoll, scheduled on September 5, is going to be a direct fight between the ruling BJP and the main opposition SP, with the BJP giving candidature to Dara Singh Chauhan, an Other Backward Classes (OBC) leader who resigned as the SP MLA from the seat on July 15 necessiating the byelection. The SP announced Sudhakar Singh, who represented Ghosi between 2012-17 in the Vidhan Sabha as its candidate.
