Battle for UP: SP faces rebel candidates in 4 Lucknow seats

Lucknow: The Samajwadi Party (SP), which is in the middle of hectic campaigning, is now facing the threat of rebel candidates on four Assembly constituencies in Lucknow.

Claimants, who have been denied tickets, have filed their nominations as independent candidates and pose a threat to official SP candidates.

In the high-profile Sarojini Nagar Assembly constituency, the SP has fielded former minister Abhishek Mishra.

Former SP MLA Sharda Pratap Shukla has filed his nomination papers as an independent candidate. Shukla, one of the senior SP leaders, is a two-time MLA.

In Bakshi-Ka-Talab, the Samajwadi candidate is Gomti Yadav but another former party MLA Rajendra Yadav has filed his nomination as an independent candidate. Both are popular in the Assembly constituency and will cut into each other's votes.

In Malihabad, the SP has named Sonu Kannaujia as its candidate but another SP leader C.L. Varma has filed his nomination as an independent candidate from the Assembly constituency.

A similar story is being seen on the Mohanlalganj Assembly constituency where Ambrish Pushkar, the sitting SP MLA, has turned rebel after he was denied ticket. He has jumped into the fray as an independent candidate while the party has now named Sushila Saroj as its candidate.

The presence of rebel candidates in four Assembly constituencies in Lucknow could prove troublesome for the SP since Lucknow is essentially considered to be a BJP bastion and the SP cannot afford even a slight diversion in votes.

A senior SP functionary, meanwhile, said that efforts were on to convince the rebel leaders and the matter would be resolved soon.