SP rules out poll tickets to Raj Babbar, Beni

NEW DELHI: Maintaining its tough stand on rebel MPs Raj Babbar and Beni Prasad Verma, Samajwadi Party on Thursday said it would nominate candidates against them in the Lok Sabha elections.
    
Denying that the party leadership had softened its stand on both Beni and Babbar, party general secretary Amar Singh said that "both the rebel MPs have not yet apologised for the manner in which they deserted the party".
    
Amar Singh said "the party will put up candidates against both Beni and Babbar in the Lok Sabha elections".
    
The SP leader denied that the party had given its 'no-objection' to Congress on fielding Raj Babbar from Fatehpur Sikri and that he (Amar Singh) personally had spoken to Beni and assured him that SP won't scuttle his chances of contesting from Gonda on a Congress ticket.
   
Singh said "the party is still unhappy with both the rebel MPs...as far as Beni Verma is concerned, Congress has not yet promised him a ticket from Gonda."
    
However, Singh's stance goes in sync with SP's clear message to Congress that it should not disturb the former's sitting MPs in Uttar Pradesh.
    
Kirtivardhan Singh is a sitting SP MP from Gonda, a seat which Beni is eyeing.
    
Fatehpur Sikri is a new seat created after delimitation from where Babbar could contest from Congress ticket, but SP sources say it is a Jat-dominated seat and with the party already thinking of talking to Ajit Singh on seat-sharing in the state, Babbar could face a tough challenge from SP nominee.