UP bypolls: NCP to field three candidates

The Nationalist Congress Party on Sunday announced the names of three candidates who will be contesting the Uttar Pradesh bypolls, voting for which will be held on October 21.

NCP's state unit chief K K Sharma said in a statement that Jitendra Kumar Saini will contest from Gangoh assembly seat, Praveen Kumar Singh from Pratapgarh and Akshanksh Chaturvedi, who had quit the ruling BJP, will be the party's candidate from Govind Nagar assembly constituency.

Sharma said that the NCP under the leadership of its president Sharad Pawar is vociferously protesting against the oppressive policies of the Bharatiya Janata Party.

"Through the bypolls, we want to convey to the BJP the intention of the common people," he said.

Last week, the Election Commission had announced that polling for 11 Assembly seats in UP mostly belonging to MLAs who had won the Lok Sabha polls and resigned as members of state assembly will be held on October 21.

Assembly constituencies going to bypolls are Gangoh, Rampur, Iglas (SC), Lucknow Cantonment, Govindnagar, Manikpur, Pratapgarh, Zaidpur (SC), Jalalpur, Balha (SC) and Ghosi.