In an unprecedented move, the Samajwadi Party (SP) on Saturday sacked 11 of its district unit presidents after many of the party’s nominees didn’t turn up for filing their nomination papers for the post of zila panchayat chairman.
The SP ousted the heads of Gorakhpur, Moradabad, Jhansi, Agra, Gautam Buddh Nagar, Mau, Balrampur, Shravasti, Bhadohi, Gonda and Lalitpur district units. Uttar Pradesh SP chief Naresh Uttam issued a statement in this regard on Saturday.
While the party did not state the reason behind the move, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav had earlier alleged that many of his party’s nominees were "prevented" from filing nomination papers.
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"The way in which the BJP government has prevented the Samajwadi Party candidates from filing nominations for the election of panchayat chairperson in Gorakhpur and elsewhere, it is a new administrative tactic of the defeated BJP to win the election. The people will not even give as many seats in the Assembly to the BJP as they will make panchayat chiefs," he said in a tweet.
In Bhadohi, the party's nominee, Shyam Kumari Maurya, whose candidature was announced about a month ago, did not turn up for filing her nomination. Similarly in Gorakhpur, SP candidate Jitendra Yadav was also not able to file his papers.
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On Saturday, nominations were filed in all districts of the state for the post of zila panchayat chairman, and the polling will take place on July 3.
(With PTI inputs)
