Some leaders conspired against me: SP's S T Hasan on missing out party ticket for LS polls

Lucknow: Samajwadi Party leader S T Hasan on Tuesday claimed he could not file his nomination from Moradabad Lok Sabha seat as some leaders "conspired" to ensure that the party letter authorising him as its candidate did not reach him in time.

Speaking to PTI, Hasan said he has already announced that he would not campaign in Moradabad but he is open to campaigning for opposition INDIA bloc candidates in other constituencies.

On March 24, the SP renominated Hasan as its candidate from Moradabad Lok Sabha constituency.

Confusion prevailed for several hours on March 27 as Hasan and Ruchi Vira claimed to be SP's official candidates from Moradabad. The party later clarified that Vira was its authorised candidate.

The next day, Hasan announced he would not contest the Lok Sabha elections and also not campaign in Moradabad.

Asked about the confusion, the MP claimed that some SP leaders in Moradabad "deliberately delayed" those bringing his party authorisation letter from Lucknow.

"The local leaders there (Moradabad) hijacked those who came (from Lucknow) with my (authorisation papers) on a chartered flight in Rampur. They also had papers for Rampur. They were deliberately delayed there (Rampur)," Hasan said.

"On March 28, the last date for filling nominations for the first phase (of Lok Sabha elections), I received a WhatsApp message at 3:02 pm saying, 'pls talk to DM, we are coming with your (party authorisation) papers'. When I spoke to the DM, he told me that I was late (for filing the nomination papers). I received the papers by 4 pm-4:15 pm," he said.

On the SP's prospects in Moradabad, Hasan said it is too early to say anything.

"Elections are elections. Let's see what happens," he said.

He reiterated that he would not campaign in Moradabad.

"I have already announced that I will not campaign for her (Vira). I will campaign anywhere else except Moradabad. I don't mind that. I am with the INDIA bloc. My good wishes are with all INDIA bloc candidates, including the one from Moradabad," he said.

He further said, "She (Vira) has been saying that she does not need local leaders. Neither have I been contacted nor has she come to me. Then what is the need for me to campaign?" Hasan won Moradabad seat in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, defeating his BJP rival Kunwar Sarvesh Kumar Singh by a margin of 97,878 votes.

This time, Vira is pitted against Singh.

A native of Bijnor district, Vira had won the Bijnor assembly bypoll in 2014, defeating BJP's Hemendra Pal by 11,000 votes.

Ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, Vira joined the BSP and lost Aonla seat to BJP's Dharmendra Kumar by 1.13 lakh votes.

Hasan exuded confidence that the INDIA bloc will win the Lok Sabha polls.

"Secular votes are going to the INDIA bloc and communal votes are going to the BJP. Communal votes are 40 per cent and secular are 60 per cent. Now you can assess yourself," he said.

Asked if the INDIA bloc was not reaching out to people as actively as the BJP, whose star campaigners including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath have been addressing back-to-back rallies, Hasan said, "These rallies do not create employment, check inflation or make farmers happy. This is 'jumlebazi' (rhetoric), which is their (BJP's) habit." When INDIA bloc leaders come, they will leave an impact on the voters, he said.

"Rallies of Akhilesh Yadav, Rahul Gandhi, Mamata Banerjee and Lalu Prasad Yadav will change equations," he asserted.

Polling in Moradabad will be held in the first phase of Lok Sabha elections on April 19. The counting of votes for all seven phases of the elections will be taken up on June 4.