Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Health minister Ahmad Hasan is among eight candidates declared by ruling Samajwadi Party for biennial election to 12 seats of Upper House of the state legislature, while opposition BSP has fielded three candidates including Mayawati confidante Naseemuddin Siddiqui. The Vidhan Parishad (Legislative Council) polls will be held on January 23.
Hasan, Ramesh Yadav, Ramjatan Rajbhar, Sahab Singh Saini, Ashok Bajpai, Virendra Singh Gurjar, Sarojini Agarwal and Yashwant Singh have been declared SP candidates, said Ram Gopal Yadav, party's national general secretary. Earlier, BSP supremo Mayawati declared Naseemuddin Siddiqui, Dharmveer Singh Ashok and Pradeep as party candidates.
The nomination process for the polls will start on January 6.
Among the 12 members whose term will come to an end on January 30, seven are from BSP, three from Samajwadi Party and two from BJP.
As per the strength of 403 members of the state Assembly, around 33 members will be electing one MLC each and since the ruling Samajwadi Party has 230 members, it will be the major gainer expecting to win at least seven members.
With 80 MLAs, the BSP can manage to win three seats comfortably although it will have a surplus of 14 votes, BJP with 41 members will be able to get one seat while one seat is likely to go to Congress-Rashtirya Lok Dal (RLD) combine Congress has 28 members and RLD has eight. The party wise strength in UP assembly is SP 230 members, BSP 80 members, BJP 41 members, Congress 28 members, RLD 8 members, Peace party four members, Quami Ekta Dal two and Nationalist Congress Party, Apna Dal, Etehad-e-Millat Council and Trinamool Congress one each and Independent six.
