LUCKNOW:SP on Saturday decided to field Narendra Verma, a six-time MLA from Mehmudabad assembly seat in Sitapur district, as party candidate for the post of deputy speaker. Elections for the post are slated to be held on Monday.
SP announcing its candidate for the post of deputy speaker has necessitated elections as till now only the ruling BJP has announced the name of Nitin Agarwal as its candidate.
Agarwal happens to be an SP MLA who joined BJP in 2018. He continues to be an SP MLA as the party has not expelled him. “The party has decided to field Narendra Verma for the post of deputy speaker. He will file his nomination on Sunday,” party’s chief spokesperson Rajendra Chaudhary told TOI on Saturday.
“Traditionally, the seat goes to the principal opposition party but the ruling BJP has thrown all traditions to the winds by fielding their candidate,” Chaudhary said. For the SP, Verma’s nomination is more of a strategic move. The party, which does not have the numbers in the state assembly to see Verma through on its own, sees the move as a win-win situation.
With Narendra Verma, a Kurmi, the SP will be able to showcase the move as its attempt to reach out to the OBCs. On the other hand, in case any of the ruling party members vote in favour of Verma, it will send across a strong message that they are siding with the opposition.
