Congress leader ends up as BSP candidate in Guna

Bhopal: A weird poll battle is being witnessed in Guna Lok Sabha constituency in Madhya Pradesh, where AICC general secretary Jyotiraditya Scindia is seeking re-election.

Congress leader Lokendra Singh Rajput is in fray in the seat as a Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) candidate “officially” with the Mayawati’s party “vigorously” campaigning in the constituency to ‘ensure his victory’. “We have intensified our campaign in the constituency asking BSP sympathisers to vote for party’s symbol ‘elephant’”, MP unit president of BSP D.P. Choudhury told this newspaper on Wednesday.

Interestingly, former BSP leader Mr Rajput had earlier filed his nomination as party candidate for Guna. He however resigned from his party and joined Congress on the last day of withdrawal of nomination, denying BSP to field an alternative party candidate in the constituency.

Peeved at the development, BSP supremo asked state party leadership to intensify campaign in the constituency to ensure that people cast their votes in BSP symbol to foil the design by Congress to transfer BSP votes to its candidate in the constituency by wooing away Mr Rajput. In fact, Ms Mayawati addressed a public meeting in Datia in the neighbouring Lok Sabha constituency of Bhind a couple of days ago appealing her supporters in Guna to cast their votes for BSP symbol.

BSP sources said the party wanted to divide non-BJP votes hurting prospects of Congress in the constituency to “teach Congress a lesson” for allegedly poaching its candidate.

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