Lok Sabha polls: Swami Prasad Maurya to contest from UP's Kushinagar

Former Uttar Pradesh minister Swami Prasad Maurya, who recently parted ways with the Samajwadi Party, on Sunday said he will contest the Lok Sabha elections from Kushinagar as a candidate of his Rashtriya Shoshit Samaaj Party.

Claiming that he held talks with the INDIA bloc constituents from Uttar Pradesh over seat sharing but got no response, Maurya also announced that S N Chauhan will be his party's candidate from the Deoria Lok Sabha seat.

The names of other candidates of the party would be announced soon, he added.

Kushinagar and Deoria Lok Sabha seats will vote in the seventh and final phase of the general elections on June 1.

In a post on X in Hindi, Maurya said that since the formation of the Rashtriya Shoshit Samaj Party, he has been trying to strengthen the INDIA bloc and make it win. "We also appealed to the people of the country to save the Constitution, democracy and get rid of the BJP," he said.

"I held talks with the leaders of both the big parties of Uttar Pradesh who are the constituents of the INDIA bloc and... sent a list of five names," Maurya said.

The former minister said that he waited for their decision.

"But, no announcement has been made to date. So, after a long wait, considering the demand of the people of Kushinagar Lok Sabha constituency, I am dedicating myself as a candidate from the seat. From the Deoria Lok Sabha seat, SN Chauhan will be the candidate of the Rashtriya Shoshit Samaaj Party," Maurya said.

"Now, it remains to be seen whether the parties in the INDIA bloc consider me a part of the alliance or give a certificate of not being a part of the alliance like Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad and Pallavi Patel of Apna Dal (Kamerawadi).

Maurya left the BJP and joined the Samajwadi Party before the 2022 assembly elections and contested from Fazilnagar Assembly seat in Kushinagar but was defeated.

Later, the Samajwadi Party made him a member of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council. However, there was opposition within the party regarding his comments related to 'Sanatan Dharma', after which he broke ties with SP and formed the Rashtriya Shoshit Samaj Party.