BSP Changes Lok Sabha Candidate Against PM Modi In Varanasi, Fields Ali Who Got Less Than 1 Per Cent Votes In 2012

Mayawati-led Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) changed its candidate against Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Varanasi for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

Last week, Atahar Jamal Lari was fielded from Varanasi. However, he has now been replaced by Sayeed Niyaz Ali aka Manju after protests from the local party cadre.

Niyaz Ali was called to Lucknow on 18 April by Mayawati and then declared a candidate. Following this development, Ali held a meeting of party functionaries on Saturday (20 April).

Ali has been a Samajwadi Party (SP) councilor and was with BSP from 2007 to 2010. He then joined Amar Singh's party Rashtriya Lok Manch and contested the 2012 UP Assembly elections from Varanasi South.

Notable, he could secure less than 1 per cent of votes. However, BSP's earlier candidate, Lari also contested here that time on Mukhtar Ansari's Qaumi Ekta Dal ticket and got 13.5 per cent votes.

Meanwhile, Congress has fielded its Uttar Pradesh president Ajay Rai for the third consecutive time against PM Modi. Both these times he came third.