The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) is getting ready for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in western Uttar Pradesh. They've named their candidates for three seats: Saharanpur, Amroha, and Moradabad. What's interesting is that all three candidates are Muslims, which might affect the votes the Samajwadi Party (SP)-Congress alliance hopes to get from minorities.
In recent party events in these areas, the BSP announced its candidates: Irfan Saifi for Moradabad, Mujahid Hussain for Amroha, and Majid Ali for Saharanpur. Saifi, who is an OBC Muslim, is currently the chairman of the Thakurdwara Nagar Palika in Moradabad.
In the last elections in 2019, the BSP didn't contest from Moradabad, as the seat was given to the SP in their alliance. This time, though, Moradabad is with the SP again, as part of their agreement. However, the SP hasn't yet named its candidate for the seat.
Hussain, the BSP's candidate for Amroha, comes from a higher-caste Muslim background and is a businessman. His wife, Bage Jahan, is the chairperson of the Dasna nagar panchayat in Ghaziabad district. The Congress is set to contest from Amroha as part of their deal with the SP.