Lucknow, Oct 24 (IANS) Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party (SP) released a list of 20 star campaigners on Friday, for the upcoming Assembly elections in Bihar. The list of party veterans who will add strength to the Mahagathbandhan (Congress-RJD-Left)’s public outreach also includes Azam Khan, the 10-time MLA who walked out of jail recently.

Among the prominent names who will go to the hustings in the run-up to the high-stakes battle include SP supremo Akhilesh Yadav, his wife and Parliamentarian Dimple Yadav, party MPs Rajiv Rai, Ikra Hasan, Priya Saroj and others.

The SP star campaigners are set to hit the ground soon, galvanising and mobilising public support for the candidates of the grand alliance.

The other 20 leaders who will power the SP’s election campaign in Bihar include Kiranmay Nanda, Afzal Ansari, Awadesh Prasad, Babu Singh Kushwaha, Naresh Uttam Patel, Rama Shankar Vidyarthi, Lalji Varma, Chotelal Kharwaar, Sanatan Pandey, Pappu Nishad, Tej Pratap Singh Yadav, Om Prakash Singh, Kashi Yadav and Dharmendra Solanki.

The fielding of Azam Khan as the party’s popular campaigner in Bihar is apparently aimed at wooing the support of minorities, as he remains one of the most influential leaders of the Muslim community. This also settles the speculations of his possible exit and tie-up with any party outside the INDIA bloc, as reports suggested that the SP stalwart was being wooed by parties like OP Rajbhar’s Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party (SBSJ).

The SBSJ, which failed to get any share in the NDA seat-sharing formula, has declared going solo in the Bihar elections and vowed to hurt the alliance by fielding candidates in the Western zone.

With the deadline for withdrawal of candidates over, the full-fledged poll campaign has begun in Bihar. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s poll blitz marked a decisive and strong opener for the BJP, while for the Mahagathbandhan, its nominees for the posts of CM and deputy CM kick-started the campaign from Patna on Friday.

–IANS

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