The Samajwadi Party (SP) has fielded film producer and big boss contestant Kamal R Khan from the north-west constituency in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. The party has also announced the name of cable king Kashinath Pasi from the South-Central Mumbai seat. Pasi is facing several criminal cases.
Their names were announced on Friday among the first 13 candidates for Lok Sabha elections in Maharashtra.
While Kamaal R Khan would face sitting congress MP Gurudas Kamath, Gajanan Kirtikar from Shiv Sena and Mayank Gandhi from Aam Admi Party at the North West, Pasi would take on sitting Congress MP Eknath Gaikwad and Shiv Sena's Rahul Shewale.
The party has also fielded the BMC corporator from Govandi and standing committee member Rais Shaikh from the North-East Mumbai. He would face Medha Patkar from AAP, Sanjay Dina Patil, the sitting Congress MP, and BJP leader Kirit Somaiya.
From North Mumbai, the party has fielded Kamlesh Yadav to take on Congress MP Sanjay Nirupam. Both the candidates are already working in their constituencies as the party has zeroed in on their names almost two months ago. Only approval of the national leadership was awaited.
When asked about the compulsion for fielding a candidate like Pasi, Abu Azmi said, "He has been acquitted in most of the cases and the pending cases are not the serious ones." Azmi added that by giving ticket to Pasi, the party is actually helping him to serve the people. On question of clean politics, Azmi defends, "Other parties have also announced candidates facing criminal cases."
The first list didn't include the contenders for the North Central and South Mumbai seats keeping the suspense alive. While the state party chief Abu Azmi himself eyes the North Central seat to take on Congress MP Priya Dutt, his son Farhan Azmi has expressed his wish to contest from South Mumbai against two-time MP and Union minister Milind Deora.
Azmi says, "The decision for the South Mumbai, North Central Mumbai and Bhiwandi would be taken in two-three days."
BSP's second list includes ex-minister and singer
Bahujan Samaj party has also announced its second list of candidates on Friday. The 17 candidates include Ashfaq Siddiqui (Kalyan), Prakash Savar (Palghar), Imtiaz Pirzade (Pune), Dr Mohan Gaikwad (Nagpur), ex-minister Dr Dashrath Pandey (Raver), Sharad Mali (Dindori), Singer Kiran Patankar (Ramtek), Sanjay Nasare (Bhandara), Ravindra Vaidya (Amravati), Sarjerai Waghmare (Shirur), Sanjeev Sadaphule (Solapur), Prashant Chavan (Satara), Rajendra Ayere (Ratnagiri), Dr Sharartchandra Wankhede (Jalna), Gulmir Khan (Parbhani), Padmshil Dhale (Usmanabad) and Sangram Singh Gaikwad (Hatkadangale). The party has already declared candidates for the seven seats, including four from Mumbai.
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