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An interesting feature of the forthcoming assembly election in Uttar Pradesh is the success of a large number of party hoppers in securing tickets, edging out "loyal" partymen.
While the Bharatiya Janata Party has given tickets to 14 candidates, who defected from other parties, the Congress has fielded ten candidates. Six party hoppers are contesting on Samajwadi Party ticket.
Several of the party hoppers were either ministers in the BJP-led government in the state or MLAs.
The BJP has given tickets to as many as 10 ministers belonging to its alliance partners, the Loktantrik Congress Party and the Kisan Mazdoor Bahujan Party.
Besides, the party has also fielded four former leaders of the SP and Bahujan Samata Party, including former Lok Sabha MP Pratap Singh Saini, who is contesting from Moradabad.
The Congress has fielded LCP's Bihari Lal Arya and Jai Narayan Tewari, members in the Rajnath Singh government, from Mauranipur and Jaisinghpur respectively.
Muid Ahmed, who defected from the BSP, is contesting as a Congress candidate in the Sultanpur Sadar assembly constituency.
Two Samajwadi Party MLAs, Nandram and Chote Lal Gangwar, have secured Congress nomination after being denied tickets by SP.
The Congress has also allotted ticket to the former prime minister V P Singh's niece Sunita Singh, who switched over from the Kisan Naujawan Dal.
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