Mafia don & ex-BSP MP to contest as Independent in Malhani bypoll

Jaunpur (Uttar Pradesh): With former Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) MP Dhananjay Singh preparing to contest the by-elections on the Malhani (Jaunpur) Assembly seat as an Independent candidate, the contest on this seat has become rather interesting.

The Samajwadi Party has fielded Lucky Yadav, son of late Parasnath Yadav, while BSP decided to play Brahmin card by putting J.P. Dubey in the fray for the November 3 by-election.

The Bharatiya Janata Party is yet to announce its candidate.

Dhananjay, meanwhile, has started preparations to contest as an Independent candidate.

Earlier, it was said that he would be fielded by the Nishad Party and the BJP would support him.

However, the BJP did not agree to Dhananjay's candidature after which the Nishad Party also backed off.

When contacted, Dhananjay said, "I am going to contest as an Independent candidate. The preparations are in full swing."

He denied that he had sought a BJP ticket and said the Nishad Party had been trying to get him fielded as ruling party candidate.

The mafia don-turned-politician had won 2002 Assembly elections from Rari seat in Jaunpur as an Independent candidate and retained the seat in 2007 on a JD(U) ticket.

In 2009, he ensured victory of his father from the seat while he joined BSP and won parliamentary election from Jaunpur.

In 2017, Dhananjay, contested as a Nishad Party candidate but Parasnath Yadav Samajwadi Party won the seat while Dhananjay ranked second.

Parasnath Yadav died in June this year and the Samajwadi Party has named his son, Lucky Yadav, as its candidate on the seat.