BJP names candidates for Rampur, Azamgarh by-polls

New Delhi: Putting an end to all the speculations, Bharatiya Janata Party on Saturday declared its candidates for Lok Sabha as well as Uttar Pradesh state assembly by-elections, leaving leader and Union Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi empty-handed.

This further fuels the speculation as to what role Naqvi, who is a Union Minister in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government will hold in the future. Naqvi's Rajya Sabha term ends on July 7.

For the other Lok Sabha vacancy created by the resignation of former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav from Azamgarh, the BJP has decided to field a Brahmin candidate.

The saffron party has fielded Bhojpuri actor Dinesh Lal Yadav "Nirahua" from the seat which is dominated by the Other Backward Class (OBC) and the Muslim population.

Interestingly, the Bahujan Samajwadi party has not fielded a candidate from Rampur but has put up a candidate in the Lok Sabha bypolls for Azamgarh. (ANI)