Lucknow: On Monday, the Congress party declared Mukesh Singh Chauhan as its candidate for the by-election in the Lucknow East Assembly constituency.

The election in the constituency is slated for May 20 during the fifth phase of the Lok Sabha election. “Congress president Shri Mallikarjun Kharge has greenlit the candidacy of Shri Mukesh Singh Chauhan as the Congress representative for the forthcoming by-election to the Legislative Assembly of Uttar Pradesh from 173-Lucknow East Constituency,” announced Congress general secretary KC Venugopal in a press release.

The by-election became necessary due to the demise of the sitting MLA Ashutosh Tandon on November 9, 2023, at the age of 63. Tandon, a three-time MLA from the same seat, served as a Cabinet minister in the inaugural government of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

Mukesh Singh Chauhan, a representative in the Lucknow Municipal Corporation, presently holds the position of general secretary for the Uttar Pradesh Congress. He has been previously affiliated with the Lucknow City unit of the Congress and also served as the spokesperson for the Uttar Pradesh Congress.

State Congress spokesperson Anshu Awasthi noted that the party’s activists were thrilled with the selection of Chauhan’s name as the candidate for the by-election in the Lucknow East Assembly constituency.

Back in March, the Samajwadi Party introduced three candidates for the upcoming by-elections, which are set to occur in four assembly constituencies in Uttar Pradesh alongside the Lok Sabha elections.

The SP put forward Avadhesh Kumar Verma for the Dadraul Assembly constituency, Rakesh Yadav for the Gainsari Assembly constituency, and Vijay Singh Gond for the Duddhi Assembly constituency. However, the party has yet to name a candidate for the Lucknow East assembly constituency.