Rashtriya Shoshit Samaj Party to unconditionally support INDIA Alliance: Party Chief Swami Prasad Maurya

Rashtriya Shoshit Samaj Party chief Swami Prasad Maurya on Sunday announced his unconditional support for the INDIA alliance ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

Rashtriya Shoshit Samaj Party chief Swami Prasad Maurya on Sunday announced his unconditional support for the INDIA alliance ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. He emphasized that whether his party gets participation in the INDIA Alliance or not, the Rashtriya Shoshit Samaj Party will support the INDIA Alliance. This is because the INDIA alliance is a necessity for the country.

"I had decided to support the INDIA alliance on the day of the formation of the Rashtriya Shoshit Samaj Party itself. I decided that in the upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha elections, to save the country, to save democracy, to save the constitution, and to curb the rising inflation in the country, to provide employment to the youth, deliver justice to the farmers, free the traders from exploitation, and to demand a caste census, the INDIA alliance is the need of the country. Therefore, Rashtriya Shoshit Samaj Party will support the INDIA Alliance unconditionally. Whether we get participation in the INDIA Alliance or not, we will support the INDIA Alliance. Because the INDIA alliance is a necessity for the country," he said. Maurya also clarified that there is no question of joining the Samajwadi Party.

"I have stated before, I bear no ill will towards Akhilesh Yadav. Our differences were purely ideological. That's why I engaged in a dialogue with him on February 12. I penned a letter to him on February 13, waited for a week, but received no reply. On February 18, I declared my intention to form my own party. On February 22, I founded my party at Delhi's Talkatora Stadium. So, there's no turning back. I had no previous animosity or hostility towards Akhilesh Yadav, and I respected him then, I respect him now, and will continue to do so in the future," he said. "If I am asked to campaign for the candidate of the India Alliance, I will do it," he added.

Setting the pace ahead of its rivals, the BJP, on Saturday, released its first list of 195 candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. The list included 47 youth candidates, 28 women candidates, 27 Scheduled Caste (SC) faces, 18 Scheduled Tribes (ST) candidates and 57 OBC/Backward Class nominees.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will seek a third straight term in the Lower House from Varanasi while Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, who joined the BJP from the Congress in 2020, will contest from Guna in Madhya Pradesh. Of the 195 candidates, 34 are ministers from the Center and States, while two are former chief ministers who are on the list.

Home Minister Amit Shah will contest from Gandhinagar, while Mansukh Mandaviya will contest Porbandar. BJP leader Manoj Tiwari will contest from North-East Delhi while late BJP stalwart and former Union Minister, Sushma Swaraj's daughter, Bansuri Swaraj, will contest from New Delhi.

Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will seek a fresh term in the Lok Sabha from Lucknow while his colleague in the central cabinet, Smriti Irani, will again contest Amethi. Earlier in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, PM Modi secured a victory in Varanasi with 6,74,664 against Congress's Ajay Rai.

The BJP-led National Democratic Party (NDA) won a total of 303 seats, leaving the grand-old party behind at 52 seats. The Lok Sabha polls are slated to be held in April-May this year. (ANI)

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