Bhim Army president Chandrashekhar alias Ravan to contest against Yogi Adityanath

Chandrashekhar had announced his decision to field candidates in around 33 seats in Uttar Pradesh after his alliance talks with Samajwadi Party failed

Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad and UP CM Yogi Adityanath. Credit: PTI Photos

Dalit leader and Bhim Army president Chandrashekhar alias Ravan would contest against Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath from Gorakhpur City assembly seat in the forthcoming assembly polls in the state.

Chandrashekhar, who has formed Azad Samaj Party (ASP), had earlier also declared that he would challenge Adityanath from wherever the latter decided to contest.

A senior ASP leader said on Thursday that the party had decided to nominate Chandrashekhar from Gorakhpur City assembly seat and that the latter had agreed to contest from there.

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''I am thankful to the party for deciding to field me against Adityanath.....I have always fought for the interests of the dalits and will continue to do so in future also,'' Chandrashekhar said.

The dalit leader had earlier held talks with Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav to contest the polls in alliance but the talks failed allegedly after the former sought over a dozen seats while the latter was ready to give only two.

Chandrashekhar has emerged as a potential challenger to BSP supremo Mayawati, especially in the Western UP region. He has been active in the western districts of Saharanpur, Muzaffarnagar, Meerut, Bulandshahar and many others, and had also launched a series of agitational programs on issues concerning the community.

Although his party had contested only one of the seven assembly seats, which went to bypolls in Uttar Pradesh in 2020, without any success, the number of votes gained by its nominee had surprised many. The lone candidate of the Azad Samaj Party from Bulandshahar assembly seat surprised everyone by bagging more than 13,500 votes severely denting the BSP nominee's electoral prospects.

BSP leaders had admitted that Chandrashekhar, who wielded considerable influence over the 'dalit' community, especially in the western UP region, posed a ''serious threat'' to their party.

Chandrashekhar has declared that his party will put up its nominees in the next assembly polls in UP. ''We feel that Mayawati has not been able to protect the interests of the dalits,'' Chandrashekhar said.

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