The Samajwadi Party has ‘silently’ allotted at least 10 seats to Muslim Candidates for phase 2 of elections, including Gangster Nahid Hasan who was responsible for the migration of Hindus out of Kairana in 2016. According to a report by News18, the party has allotted seats to Muslim candidates with criminal charges for Phase 2 of the upcoming UP assembly elections but it has consciously refrained from officially declaring them. The party has already announced tickets for 13 Muslim candidates in Phase 1 of the Uttar Pradesh Elections of 2022.
Nahid Hassan, who is accused of conducting the exodus of Hindus from Kairana was given a ticket by the Samajwadi Party. The SP MLC was arrested under the gangster act a day after filing his nomination from SP. Hindu families were reportedly forced to flee due to repeated threats and attacks from Muslim locals in Kairana, which is a Muslim-majority town. After criticism rose, the SP replaced Hasan’s candidature by giving a ticket to his sister
While the Samajwadi Party has not declared lists of contesting candidates officially, it has released statements about 10 Muslim candidates in Phase 2 and one candidate contesting in Phase 3 who happen to face criminal charges. Muslim candidates who were given tickets from Amroha, Meerganj, Behat, Sishamau, Bhojipura, Baheri, Chamruha, Dhampur, Shahjahanpur, Chandpur and Thakurdwara seats face criminal charges. It is directed as per the rules of the Election Commission for a party to declare officially about the criminal cases faced by its candidates before elections.
The move came after the BSP allotted 23 seats to Muslims for Phase 2, while the party has already allotted 17 seats to Muslim candidates for Phase 1. For the first two phases of the elections, the Samajwadi Party has given tickets to over 20% of Muslim candidates, while the BSP has given up to 35% of total seats to Muslims by now.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has already levelled allegations against the Samajwadi Party-led alliance for giving tickets to ‘history-sheeters’ and ‘gangsters’. Last week, Yogi Adityanath fired fresh salvos at the Akhilesh Yadav’s party, calling it ‘riot-lover’ and ‘tamanchawadi’ over the party’s first list of candidates for the upcoming state assembly polls.
“Those whose basic character is undemocratic, criminal dynastic, talk of democracy and development from them is laughable. The list of assembly election candidates confirms that the SP is a ‘rioter lover’ and a ‘tamanchawadi’,” tweeted Yogi in Hindi.
