Lok Sabha Elections 2019: Vote For Congress Even if Candidate Hails From Pakistan, Mahan Dal Chief Keshav Maurya Tells Voters

Pratyashi mat dekhna, haath ka panja (Congress' election symbol) dekh lena, usi pe vote de dena, pratyashi koi bhi ho, accha ho, kharab ho, Pakistan se bhi aake lade, Mahan Dal ko koi aitraaz nahi hoga

New Delhi: Congress ally Mahan Dal chief Keshav Dev Maurya, urged voters to vote for ‘panja‘ — Congress election symbol, even if the candidate was from Pakistan.

“Don’t look at the candidate. Just see the hand symbol and vote for it. Let the candidate be a bad guy or even a Pakistani coming to contest elections. Mahan Dal will not have a problem (Pratyashi mat dekhna, haath ka panja (Congress’ election symbol) dekh lena, usi pe vote de dena, pratyashi koi bhi ho, accha ho, kharab ho, Pakistan se bhi aake lade, Mahan Dal ko koi aitraaz nahi hoga),” he said, while addressing a rally in Uttar Pradesh’s Moradabad.

Senior Congress leaders Raj Babbar, Naseemuddin Siddiqui and Rashid Alvi were also present at the event.

Mahan Dal chief Keshav Dev Maurya to his party supporters in Moradabad: Pratyashi mat dekhna, haath ka panja (Congress' election symbol) dekh lena, usi pe vote de dena, pratyashi koi bhi ho, accha ho, kharab ho, Pakistan se bhi aake lade, Mahan Dal ko koi aitraaz nahi hoga pic.twitter.com/4Gqmms3bGU
— ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) February 24, 2019

Earlier on Feb 14, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Jyotiraditya Scindia, the newly appointed Congress general secretaries for Uttar Pradesh, announced the alliance of the party with the regional outfit Mahan Dal for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.

The Mahan Dal had joined the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance in 2014.

In western Uttar Pradesh, the Mahan Dal contested from three Lok Sabha constituencies – Badaun, Nagina and Etah, though all lost. The Mahan Dal claims support from the OBC voters of western UP, especially Shakyas, Mauryas and Kushwahas.