Former BJP Leader Shivshankar Singh Patel To Be SP's Candidate From Banda Constituency

As the Samajwadi party (SP) named all 16 candidates for the Lok Sabha election, the party has fielded former minister Shivshankar Singh Patel in the Banda parliamentary constituency. He had joined SP after leaving Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) before the 2022 Uttar Pradesh assembly election. By choosing Mr Shivshankar Singh, many observe that the SP has played a good strategy.

While Mr Shivshankar Singh was taking party membership in 2022, Akhilesh Yadav was happy thinking that the former minister and three times recurrent winner of the Baberu Assembly constituency in the Banda district of Uttar Pradesh would give the party strength in the Bundelkhand area.

It was reported that Mr Shivshankar Singh left the BJP following the party’s rejection to field his wife in the Panchayat election on BJP”s ticket. Mr Shivshankar Patel then fielded his wife as an independent candidate in the Panjayath election. The former minister of state for Agriculture left the BJP after the party suspended him for anti-party activities in the panchayat elections.

However, according to the sources, Mr Shivshankar Singh has his own popularity in the Banda Lok Sabha including the Baberu area in Banda district. Many observe that his quitting of the BJP is a blow to the party. With a strong influence in the Baberu region, he is counted as one of the strong leaders who can play a big party in the Banda-Chitrakoot parliamentary constituency.

As the SP chose Mr Shivshankar Singh for the Banda-Chitrakoot, Akhilesh Yadav hopes for good result in the constituency in the upcoming general election.