Denied ticket, Samajwadi Party leader tries to immolate self outside party office

Thakur Aditya, an SP member from Aligarh, put petrol on himself and attempted to set fire in front of the Samajwadi Party headquarters at Vikramaditya Marg in Lucknow. However, the police present there were able to save him.

Lucknow: A Samajwadi Party worker on Sunday allegedly tried to self immolate himself outside the party office in Lucknow claiming that he has been denied a ticket to contest the upcoming Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls.

"I have spent my entire youth working for the party. I have worked for the party in constituency 74 of Aligarh in the last 5 years. I want justice. I will take my life here today, come what may," said Thakur Aditya, a SP worker.

Thakur Aditya, a SP member from Aligarh, put petrol on himself and attempted to set fire in front of the Samajwadi Party headquarters at Vikramaditya Marg in Lucknow. However, the police present there were able to save him, and later detained him.

When asked from which Constituency he was hoping to get a ticket, Aditya said, I want to contest the UP elections from Chhara constituency in Aligarh but was not given a ticket. "Thakur also accused the Samajwadi Party of robbing him of his ticket and giving it to "outsiders".

The Samajwadi Party-Rashtriya Lok Dal alliance announced its first list of candidates for the Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls on January 13. Elections for the 403 assembly constituencies in Uttar Pradesh will be held in seven phases starting February 10. The polling in Uttar Pradesh will be held on February 10, 14, 20, 23, 27 and March 3 and 7 in seven phases. The counting of votes will take place on March 10.