SP announces new names for three LS seats

LUCKNOW: The Samajwadi Party on Monday declared the name of Manoj Kumar Singh as party candidate from Robertsganj parliamentary constituency and replaced candidates in Shravasti and Varanasi constituencies for the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.
Party general secretary and sitting MP Ram Gopal Yadav, on Monday, confirmed that the party had shortlisted Manoj Kumar Singh as its candidate for the general election from Robertsganj.He also confirmed that Mohammad Masood has replaced Yasir Shah as the party candidate from Shravasti, while Kailash Chaurasiya has replaced Surendra Singh Patel in Varanasi.
Yasir Shah is Waqar Ahmed Shah’s son, a minister in the Akhilesh cabinet, while Surendra Singh Patel is the minister of state for Public Works Department (PWD).
Though the party has not assigned any reason for change of candidates in two constituencies, sources said the party had initially fielded the two with the rider that they may be replaced in case better replacements were found from the two constituencies.
The two replacements on Monday have taken the total number of candidates getting replaced by the party to six since the party's national president Mulayam Singh Yadav had announced in November 2013 that no more candidates will be replaced by the SP thereafter.