On last day of nomination, SP changes Meerut face for 2nd time, fields former Mayor

ON THURSDAY, the last day of filing nomination for the second phase of voting on April 26, the Samajwadi Party changed its candidate for the Meerut Lok Sabha seat yet again.

On Wednesday, the SP’s sitting Sardhana MLA, Atul Pradhan, had filed his nomination papers as the party’s candidate from Meerut amidst much fanfare. However, on Thursday, the SP announced it was giving the ticket to former Meerut mayor Suneeta Verma instead, attributing the decision to “winnability”. Verma went on to file the nomination Thursday morning.

Pradhan was himself a replacement for Bhanu Pratap Singh, the name the SP had announced for the seat on Tuesday. He was dropped by the party citing Pradhan’s connection to people in the seat. Pradhan also has the reputation of a “giant killer”, having defeated firebrand BJP leader Sangeet Som by a margin of over 18,000 votes. in the 2022 Assembly elections.

On Thursday, SP leaders claimed confidence that Verma would give the BJP candidate a “stiff competition”, having built a base in Meerut city serving as its Mayor.

Verma and her husband Yogesh Verma were incidentally both with the BSP earlier. They were expelled in 2019 over “anti-party activities” and joined the SP.

Asked about the party dropping him, Pradhan told The Indian Express: “The senior leadership of the party thought of something and gave someone else the ticket. National president (Akhilesh Yadav) called me this morning. After a long discussion, it was decided that I would not contest. The party must feel there is someone better to manage the equations in the seat. I accept their decision.”

Asked whether he would campaign for Verma, Pradhan said it was “difficult” for his supporters to do so. He added, “But there is no protest. I accept the