Barring the Bahujan Samaj Party, contestants of all other major political outfits have to battle opposition within the ranks before they can concentrate on ousting political rivals from the electoral arena. It’s a similar case in at least 15 of the total 60 seats in eastern Uttar Pradesh.

Rebellion is a major cause of concern for leaders of the BJP, Samajwadi Party and the Congress. While rebel candidates may or may not win, they upset calculations of the nominee of the party which they are opposing.

The BJP was the worst sufferer of the rebellion factor during assembly elections in 2002, when the former chief minister, Kalyan Singh, formed his own party and put up candidates in a majority of the seats. “Kalyan’s opposition was one of the main reasons why our party’s strength halved in 2002 as compared to our tally in the 1996 Assembly polls,” said a senior party leader .

Rang Bahadur Patel, two time BJP MLA, will be filing his nomination papers for the Soroan Assembly segment in Allahabad district tomorrow to vent his ire against the fact that the segment was left for Apna Dal chief Sone Lal Patel.

“I have been the party MLA from this place twice but I was denied the party nomination at the last moment because Sone Lal wanted to contest from here. I was left with no option but to fight as an Independent,” Rang Bahadur told The Indian Express.

Almost similar is the story of Ajai Rai, a two time BJP legislator from Kolasala in Varanasi district, who also had to leave his seat for Sone Lal . The Apna Dal chief wants to contest from two places to ensure his maiden entry in the Assembly.

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