Ten candidates of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and three of Samajwadi Party (SP) on March 11 filed their nomination papers in Lucknow for the biennial elections to the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council.
Monday is the last date for filing of nomination papers for the MLC polls.
The 10 NDA candidates, including seven from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), filed their nominations in the presence of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
Those who filed the nomination papers from the BJP include former ministers Mahendra Singh and Ashok Katariya, Vijay Bahadur Pathak (state BJP vice-president), Mohit Beniwal, Ram Tirath Singhal (former mayor of Jhansi) and Dharmendra Singh.
Apart from these, Ashish Patel of Apna Dal (S), Yogesh Chaudhary of Rashtriya Lok Dal and Vichhelal of the Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) also submitted their nomination papers.
Apart from the chief minister, his deputies Keshav Prasad Maurya and Brajesh Pathak, State BJP chief Bhupendra Singh Chaudhary and SBSP chief Om Prakash Rajbhar also accompanied the NDA candidates during the nomination filing.
Mr. Adityanath later posted on X, "Hearty congratulations to all the NDA candidates who filed nomination today for the post of member of Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council! Best wishes to all of you for your victory!"
SP spokesperson Fakhrul Hasan said senior party leader Balram Yadav, former MLA Shah Alam alias Guddu Jamali and Kiranpal Kashyap are the three candidates who filed their nomination papers from the party on Monday for the UP Legislative Council polls.
After filing his nomination, Mr. Yadav told reporters that the SP has expressed confidence in him and made him a candidate for the Legislative Council polls.
"I will live up to this trust and will make the PDA (Pichhde, Dalit, Alpsankhyak) candidates victorious in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections," he said.
Shah Alam alias Guddu Jamali, who recently joined the SP after quitting the Bahujan Samaj Party, said 'PDA' is not 'jumlebaazi' or empty rhetoric but a thought and it will bring out good results on the ground. He was apparently hinting at the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.
The term of 13 members of the U.P. Legislative Council is coming to an end in May this year. The last date for withdrawal of names is March 14.
Voting, if required, will take place on March 21. The counting of votes will take place after 5 p.m. on the same day.
