In a major jolt to the Congress-RLD alliance, civil aviation minister Ajit Singh’s top aide, RLD general secretary Anuradha Choudhary, joined the Samajwadi Party on Sunday. Ms Choudhary, who enjoys a strong support base in the Muzaffarnagar-Kairana belt of western Uttar Pradesh, had been upset over the electoral tieup with the Congress, as first reported by this newspaper earlier.
While Ms Choudhary had been in touch wth top BJP leaders too, she decided to join the SP apparently in the hope of benefiting politically if the Mulayam Singh Yadav-led outfit emerged as the single largest party after the elections.
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U.P. farmer killed in ‘mistake’ by STF
Amita Verma
Lucknow, Jan. 8
A farmer lost his life in a case of mistaken identity when UP Special Task Force personnel mistook him for a “history-sheeter” and killed him at Ujhani in Badaun district Sunday.
Farmer Brijpal Singh was killed when his hut caught fire in STF firing. His burnt body was identified by his wife and son.