The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) announced its list of candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh, revealing a strategic move to contest across key constituencies. In Uttarakhand, BSP unveiled five contenders on Tuesday, with Neem Chandra Ghuriyal nominated for Tehri Garhwal, Dheer Singh Bisht for Pauri Garhwal, Narayan Ram for Almora, Akhtar Ali Mahagir for Nainital–Udhamsingh Nagar, and Jamil Ahmed for Haridwar.
Earlier, on Sunday, BSP had disclosed candidates for 25 out of the 80 seats in Uttar Pradesh, split across two lists. The lineup included Majid Ali for Saharanpur, Shripal Singh for Kairana, Dara Singh Prajapati for Muzaffarnagar, Vijyendra Singh for Bijnor, Surendra Pal Singh for Nagina (SC seat), and Mohammad Irfan Saifi for Moradabad.
However, in a surprising turn of events, BSP's candidate for Haridwar, Bhavna Pandey, renounced her affiliation with the party on Tuesday, merely a day after joining and being nominated. Pandey announced her intent to join the BJP on March 28, pledging support for BJP candidate Trivendra Singh Rawat.
Following Pandey's departure, BSP swiftly named Maulana Jameel Ahmed Kazmi, a former party MLA in Uttar Pradesh, as the new candidate for Haridwar. Notably, BSP chief Mayawati herself contested from Haridwar in 1984 but faced defeat despite securing approximately 1.25 lakh votes.
Since 2014, the BJP has dominated the Haridwar seat, with former Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat currently leading the party's charge, replacing Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank. In the same constituency, the Congress has nominated Virender Rawat, the son of former Chief Minister Harish Rawat, as its candidate.
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