Rajnath files nomination from Lucknow, Congress yet to announce candidate
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh filed his nomination from Lucknow Lok Sabha seat on Tuesday, but Congress is yet to come up with a rival. The deadline to file nominations from the prestigious seat ends in two days. Lucknow will vote on May 6. It should be recalled that Singh got a thumping win from Lucknow in 2014 as well. Here's more.
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh files his nomination from Lucknow for #LokSabhaElections2019 pic.twitter.com/MpwtUJefER
— ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) April 16, 2019
Before filing his nomination, Singh offered prayers at Lucknow's revered Hanuman Setu Temple. BJP spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi and UP minister Brajesh Pathak accompanied him. Later, he led road show to collector's office. UP CM Yogi Adityanath was supposed to accompany him, but he couldn't owing to Election Commission's directive. The polling body banned Adityanath from holding rallies for 72 hours for his communal speeches.
Lucknow: Union Minister BJP leader Rajnath Singh holds road show ahead of filing nomination from Lucknow parliamentary seat pic.twitter.com/pIYVNt02Xm
— ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) April 16, 2019
Lucknow and BJP go way back. The seat had sent late Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee to Lok Sabha in 1998, 1999, and 2004. In 2014, Singh's biggest competitor was Rita Bahuguna Joshi, who fought on Congress ticket. While Singh got 5,60,000 votes, Joshi got 2,80,000 votes. BSP and SP came third and fourth respectively. Later, Joshi joined BJP and this time she has been fielded from Allahabad.
In the partnership of rivals-turned-allies, Lucknow's seat went to SP. When asked about a prospective candidate, party president Akhilesh Yadav said he would announce a name soon. "On a seat like Lucknow, I am willing to take a risk. I want to look beyond the usual caste combination here. The question is whether it will work or not," Akhilesh reportedly said.
