Ex-soldier Tej Bahadur Yadav’s nomination against PM Modi in Varanasi ‘cancelled’: Reports

The nomination of ex-soldier Tej Bahadur Yadav against Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Varanasi Lok Sabha seat has been cancelled by the Election Commission, according to sources. According to a report in BBC, Samajwadi Party spokesperson Manoj Rai said that they have been verbally informed about the decision but waiting for an official order.

"We have been verbally told about the decision, but we are still waiting for a written order," BBC quoted Rai as saying. Tej Bahadur Yadav, a former Border Security Force (BSF) soldier, was fielded by the Samajwadi Party as candidate against PM Modi. He also found support from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which had fielded its chief Arvind Kejriwal against Modi in 2014.

Yadav, first shot to fame in 2017 after he posted a video complaining about the poor quality food was being served to the soldiers posted at India-Pakistan border. The video went viral on social media, prompting the government to order an official inquiry. However, four months after going public with his complaint, he was sacked by the BSF allegedly for "making false allegations".

According to the reports, the Election Commission has said that sacked government employees can’t contest the elections for five years. The poll body had also issued a notice to Tej Bahadur over allegedly discrepancies in the two affidavits he filed.

In his first nomination as an independent candidate, he reportedly mentioned in his affidavit that he was sacked by the BSF but didn’t mention the information in his second affidavit as Samajwadi Party candidate.