BSP-SP alliance names 19 LS candidates in Maharashtra

The Bahujan Samaj Party and Samajwadi Party, which are contesting in alliance in Maharastra like home state Uttar Pradesh, on Thursday announced their first list of 19 candidates.

Out of these, four are from the SP and 15 from Mayawati's BSP.

SP state General Secretary A.Q. Chaudhary said that party chief Akhilesh Yadav finalised the candidates in consultation with party's Maharashtra chief Abu Asim Azmi who will not contest the elections.

The candidates for the remaining 29 seats - all to be contested by BSP - shall be announced later, he added.

The BSP-SP campaign in the state will be kicked off on April 5 by Mayawati who will address a public rally in Mumbai along with Azmi and other leaders from both the parties.

The 19 candidates announced on Thursday are largely from Mumbai, and the Vidarbha and Marathwada regions.

The Dalit-Muslim front of Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi led by Prakash Ambedkar and MIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi - will pose a challenge to the BSP-SP alliance, besides the Bharatiya Janata Party-Shiv Sena and the Congress-Nationalist Congress Party fronts in the state.

This time, Maharashtra seems set to witness a four-cornered contest of various alliances in the state, wooing the over eight crore voters.

--IANS

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