Battle for UP: Modi lookalike to contest as independent

Lucknow:  Abhinandan Pathak, who is better known as Prime Minister Narendra Modi's lookalike, will contest the Sarojini Nagar Assembly seat in Lucknow as an independent candidate.

Pathak, 56, who is from Saharanpur, claims he had sought a ticket from the BJP, but got no response.

"I wrote to BJP president J.P. Nadda and Union Home Minister Amit Shah for a ticket to contest from Lucknow but they paid no heed to my letters," he said.

"I am a 'Modi Bhakt'. The BJP can ignore me, but I will contest and win the election to help Yogi Adityanath become chief minister for the second term. Modi and Yogi are two faces of one coin. I admire their passion to work selflessly for the masses," he said.

According to Pathak this is not the first time that BJP has rejected his plea for a ticket.

"During Chhattisgarh Assembly election, I travelled to the state in order to promote the BJP but the then Chief Minister Raman Singh mocked me and did not even offer a place to stay for a day. Raman said neither he did not require 'Asli Modi or Nakli Modi' to win the election. My curse threw him out of power," said Pathak.

Pathak has been selling cucumbers on trains to survive after his divorce.

"My wife Meera Pathak filed for divorce as I could not support her financially. I was financially drained in the 1999 Lok Sabha election which I contested from Saharanpur. Since then, I lost financial stability. I have six children, including three daughters. Barring two, the rest are married and settled. My wife lives with our two sons. After I left home, my wife has not contacted me. I want to become a politician and serve the community," he said.

Pathak had met Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the 2014 Varanasi election campaign.

"Since that day I have dedicated my life to Modi. In fact, to avenge the insult of Modi, I reached Lalu Prasad Yadav's residence to challenge him and confronted his men," he added.

Pathak is often invited to political rallies where he regales the audience till the main guest arrives.

The Sarojini Nagar Assembly seat is one of the most prestigious seats in Lucknow.

In 2017, Swati Singh was elected from the seat and now her husband, Daya Shankar Singh, is seeking a ticket from this seat. Daya Shankar Singh is the state vice president of the BJP.