UP polls: Akhilesh-led Samajwadi Party releases list of 191 candidates, Shivpal Yadav gets ticket

Lucknow: Samajwadi Party headed by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav on Friday released the first list of 192 candidates for the upcoming UP Assembly Elections 2017.

Interestingly, Akhilesh's warring uncle, Shivpal Singh Yadav has been given an election ticket to contest from Jaswantnagar constituency.

It was earlier reported that SP patron Mulayam had given a list of 38 candidates - which can't be overlooked - to Akhilesh when the young Chief Minister came to seek his blessings on Tuesday.

Rakesh Verma, son of Rajya Sabha member Beni Prasad Verma, whose name had figured in Shivpal's list, however, has been replaced by Akhilesh loyalist Arvind Singh Gope, Minister and sitting MLA from Ramnagar seat (Barabanki).

Senior minister Azam Khan's son Abdullah Azam Khan has been made the party candidate from Swaar in Rampur.

Gangster-turned-politician Ateeq Ahmad has withdrawn from the fray, saying he does not want to embarrass the Chief Minister. In his place, Hasan Rumi has been fielded from Kanpur Cantt. 

In the list of candidates declared today, 52 are Muslims and 18 women. Though Akhilesh has taken care not to include controversial figures, still the list carries the name of Vijay Singh, who was the main accused in the murder of BSP leader Brahmdutt Dwivedi. He has been fielded from Farrukhabad.

The ruling party's candidates from constituencies neighbouring Delhi are Virendra Yadav from Sahibabad, Surendra Kumar from Muradnagar, Sunil Chowdhary from Noida, Sujat Aalam from Bulandshahr, Pramod Tyagi from Budhana, Rakesh Sharma from Shikarpur, Nand Kishore Valmiki from Khurja, Subhash Pal from Barauli and Rakesh Singh from Charra.