Allahabad: The wife of an Uttar Pradesh minister has sprung a surprise here by filing nomination papers against her husband as an independent candidate.
Abhilasha Gupta (38), wife of Minister for Homeopathic Medicine Nand Gopal Nandi, filed her nomination papers from the Allahabad (South) seat on Saturday evening, shortly before filing of nominations for the third phase of polls came to a close.
Significantly, Nandi was accompanied by his wife when he filed his nomination papers from the same seat on January 25.
Sources close to the minister claimed that Nandi’s wife had filed her papers in the 2007 polls also, but withdrew later.
Nandi, who was a city-based industrialist before venturing into politics, had pulled off a sensational victory in the 2007 assembly polls, defeating heavyweights like former Assembly Speaker and the then state BJP president Keshri Nath Tripathi and UP Congress chief Rita Bahuguna Joshi.
He was straightaway inducted into the cabinet.
He was also severely injured in a bomb attack outside his residence here on July 12, 2010.
Seeking re-election from the seat where voting will be held on February 15, Nandi is likely to face a tough challenge from Keshri Nath Tripathi, who has won the seat for BJP a record five times, and city Mayor Chaudhary Jitendra Nath Singh, who has been fielded by the Congress.
Political parties to focus on UP from today: As Uttarakhand and Punjab are going to polls on Monday, all political parties have turned their attention towards Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections and a horde of leaders would descend on the state.
The first phase of elections in the state is just 10 days away on February 8 in 55 Assembly seats.
Political parties have chalked out a detailed campaigning programme to take their leaders in every nook and corner of the constituencies.
Due to strictness of the Election Commission, political parties are facing severe problems to reach the voters. Only election meetings and some restricted ad campaigns are the options for the parties to reach the voters.
Smaller and bigger parties are campaigning by distributing handbills, door-to-door campaign and even through social networking sites. National parties have been allowed to use 40 each star campaigners in the state. (Agencies)