New Delhi: Actor Sanjay Dutt will contest the Lok Sabha elections this year as a Samajwadi Party candidate from Lucknow, the party announced on Thursday.
Dutt, who has been convicted in connection with the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts, would contest elections for the first time.
SP general secretary Amar Singh announced the names of 26 candidates who would contest elections from UP. Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav will contest elections from Mainpuri and Bhojpuri actor Manoj Tiwari from Gorakhpur, he said
The candidates were selected at the party’s central parliamentary board meeting in Delhi.
The party would take the Election Commission’s permission for fielding Dutt, as he has been convicted under the Arms Act. "Like a BJP MP who is a known cricketer was allowed to contest despite being convicted, we too will try our best to field Dutt...if we fail, he would certainly be our star campaigner,” said Amar, referring to BJP MP Navjot Sidhu.
"Since we are an ally of Congress, and Dutt's sister Priya is a Congress MP, we hope Congress will be happy that we are fielding Dutt," he said.
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