Congress 'relying on turncoats' in LS polls in Uttar Pradesh

The Congress party is relying on turncoats in the Lok Sabha elections in Uttar Pradesh, said a party leader requesting anonymity on Saturday.

Talking to ANI, the party leader annoyed with ticket distribution said, "In Moradabad, many veterans were eyeing Congress ticket, but an Urdu poet Imran Pratapgarhi was chosen by the party. Congress has been unable to find candidates for the high-profile seats of Lucknow and Varanasi."

The leader added, "Congress neglected its own party workers when it came to ticket distribution in Uttar Pradesh and relied on turncoats."

The leader cited examples of Fatehpur, where a former Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Rakesh Sachan is contesting on a Congress ticket and Sitapur where a former Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) leader, Kaiser Jahan, is the Congress candidate.

In Shravasti, Dhirender Pratap Singh who was earlier a member of BSP and later the BJP is now contesting from Congress. The party has given preference to Singh denying tickets to former Member of Parliament (MP) Vinay Pandey and another Congress leader Rizwan Zaheer.

Seven-phase elections in the country are slated to begin on April 11 and will go on till May 19. Counting of votes will be held on May 23. There are 80 Lok Sabha seats at stake in Uttar Pradesh, polling for which will be held in all seven phases.