With a new political twist in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections, Samajwadi Party (SP) on Monday fielded former BSF jawan Tej Bahadur Yadav from Varanasi, replacing its Lok Sabha candidate Shalini Yadav.
Yadav, who was earlier contesting as an Independent candidate from the temple city, will now face Prime Minister Narendra Modi on a SP ticket.
“Brave soldier Tej Bahadur has got the SP ticket from Varanasi,” the party announced on its official Twitter handle.
सेना के जवान तेज़ बहादुर जी को वाराणसी से समाजवादी पार्टी का टिकट दिया गया है।
— Samajwadi Party (@samajwadiparty) April 29, 2019
It is worth mentioning that Tej Bahadur Yadav was dismissed from the Border Security Force (BSF) in 2017 after he released a video, depicting the poor quality of food served to soldiers.
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Yadav had posted four videos on social media in January 2017, which showed him complaining about unpalatable food at his camp along the Indo-Pakistan border in Jammu and Kashmir.
After announcing his decision to contest against Prime Minister Modi, he had said: “I am contesting as an Independent candidate from Varanasi. The Prime Minister had said he will give the status of martyrs to soldiers of paramilitary forces and will give them a pension. I will ask the Prime Minister if you had made promises, what all did you do to date?”
The election in Varanasi is slated to take place in the last phase of seven-phased Lok Sabha elections on May 19. The counting of votes will begin on May 23.