Congress to contest all 11 graduates, teachers seats in UP MLC polls

Lucknow: The Congress has announced that it will field candidates on all 11 seats -- five graduates' and six teachers' constituencies -- in the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council elections scheduled for next year.

The party also named five potential candidates and indicated that it plans to go solo in the polls.

In a statement issued on Friday, state Congress chief Ajay Rai said the party aims to amplify the voices of the youth and teachers in the council. To achieve this, it has begun registering 5 lakh graduate and 2 lakh teacher voters.

Rai said the potential candidates are being appointed as coordinators for each seat.

Five coordinators have been named -- Vikrant Vashishtha for Meerut-Saharanpur Graduate seat, Raghuraj Singh Pal for Agra Graduate seat, Devmani Tiwari for Lucknow Graduate seat, Sanjay Priyadarshi for Varanasi Teachers' Legislative Council seat and Arvind Singh Patel for Varanasi Graduates' Legislative Council seat.

A graduates' constituency is one in which only graduates from any recognised Indian university, or those with an equivalent qualification, can vote. In a teachers' constituency, only a full-time teacher in at least a secondary school or higher is eligible to vote.

Rai alleged that in the last election, the BJP won by indulging in vote theft, booth capturing and ballot box replacement, attempting to suppress the voice of democracy.

He said a 'Connect Centre' has been established at the state Congress office in Lucknow for the elections. A Coordinator Committee will be formed in each district, which will be connected to the Connect Centre, he said.

All frontal organisations have been involved. The Legal, Teachers', and Medical Cells have been assigned special responsibilities for this election, he added.

Rai stated MPs, MLAs and senior Congress leaders are being appointed as in-charges for all seats.

There are a total of 100 Legislative Council seats in Uttar Pradesh, which are filled by members selected by MLAs, civic and panchayat representatives, teachers and graduates. The government also nominates some members.