The most interesting aspect is the by-election held in Uttar Pradesh’s Kaitri assembly seat. In this seat, the candidates of the three major parties, the People’s Party, the Socialist Party and the People’s Party, who once learned the art of politics from the People’s Party, are facing each other in the by-election.
The BJP has given tickets to Dharamraj Nishad, three-time MLA from Ambedkar Nagar and minister in the BSP government. SP gave ticket to Shobhavati Verma. Her husband Lalji Verma was one of the prominent leaders of the Socialist Party of the Philippines, which gave the seat to Amit Verma. He entered politics in 2010 during the BSP government and joined the Congress a few years later. In 2012, he contested against Lalji Verma in the assembly elections from Kethari.
The BJP candidate has been elected MLA from the BSP thrice
The BJP has given votes from the Khatri seat to Dharamraj Nishad. He is the eldest BSP. It was 28 years ago, in 1996, that Dharamraj contested for the first time in the elections of the Socialist Party of the Philippines (BSP) and became a provincial assembly member (MLA). Thereafter, he won BSP tickets in 2002 and 2007. In 2010, then Chief Minister Mayawati also appointed Dharamraj as a minister.
SP candidate starts politics from BSP
SP candidate Shobhavati Verma started her political career under the banner of BSP. She was the wife of Lalji Verma, a once powerful leader of the Socialist Party of the Philippines. Lalji Verma was a five-time BSP MLA and a minister in the BSP government. In 2011, Shobhavati won the Ambedkar Nagar district council president election. In 2016, he ran for the District Council election again, but this time he had to face defeat.
BAPSA has given votes to its former leader Amit Verma from the Katehri constituency of Ambedkar Nagar, known as the BSP stronghold. Amit entered politics in 2010 from the BSP. However, after some time, he joined the Congress and contested the 2012 Assembly elections from a Congress seat.
It is said that SP candidate’s husband Lalji Verma and BSP candidate Amit Verma’s father Ram Kesh Verma have a very good friendship. Ramkesh is a big contractor. Ram Kesh had helped Lalji Verma a lot in the elections, but in the current political situation, the two families are on opposite sides.
