Mulayam Singh set to campaign for Kalyan

He would then go to Aligarh and Bulandshahar to garner support for SP candidates contesting from the two seats. The trio would be travelling in the region the whole day in a private helicopter. While Mulayam and Amar Singh would start from Delhi,they will pick up Kalyan from Kasganj,as per their travel schedule.

The Etah-Aligarh-Bulandshahar region in western UP has long been a Kalyan Singh pocketborough,where he holds influence among the Lodh-Rajput community. Though SP has been facing a lot of flak from the Muslim community ever since it came close to the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister,Kalyan’s influence in the region and the fact that he has vowed to finish BJP in UP,were the main reasons behind SP’s dalliance with him.

Kalyan has extended his support to Zafar Alam,the SP candidate from Aligarh. SP sources said that he has been appealing to people there to vote for Alam,and in fact has also staked his reputation behind his candidature. The party expects to win the seat and is hoping that the Lodh-Rajput as well as the influential Muslim community there will support Alam.

Interestingly Aligarh despite being a Muslim dominated seat,has not had a Muslim MP since the 1950s. In Etah,the former BJP leader expects to win and a senior SP leader said that Kalyan being a Lodh and his long standing influence in the region,should work in his favour.

In Bulandshahar,the trio would address a meeting in support of SP candidate Kamlesh Valmiki before returning to Delhi.