Lok Sabha Elections 2019: Samajwadi Party replaces Ghaziabad candidate Surendra Kumar Munni with Suresh Bansal

The Samajwadi Party replaced its Ghaziabad candidate Surendra Kumar Munni with Suresh Bansal under the SP-BSP alliance on Friday. Suresh Bansal will contest on Samajwadi Party symbol and he had got permission from BSP chief Mayawati for doing so. The announcement of Congress candidate Dolly Sharma has tilted the situation in Bansal’s favour, according to party insiders. Bansal took the membership of SP before filing his nomination papers. 

Bansal had been lobbying for the ticket for some time now and even met SP chief Akhilesh Yadav few days back in Lucknow, they added.

Munni, three-time former MLA's name was announced the SP-BSP alliance candidate from Ghaziabad Lok Sabha constituency on March 15. He had joined the SP after leaving Congress in 2017, and has currently been serving as the party’s district president. Since the start of the poll season, Munni was believed to be the frontrunner for the Lok Sabha candidacy from Ghaziabad. When contacted, he said, “I am still the alliance candidate and has no knowledge about Bansal’s candidature. If he has been given the ticket, ask him to show the approval,” as reported by ToI.

On Thursday, the BJP announced general VK Singh's name as the candidate from Ghaziabad.