Next LS polls, Phoolan Devi's husband to contest for BSP

Lucknow: The BSP will field Umaid Singh, husband of slain bandit queen-turned-politician Phoolan Devi, in the next Lok Sabha polls, a party leader said Wednesday. Confirming this, Bahujan Samaj Party leader Munqad Ali told reporters that Singh would contest from Shahjahanpur. “I have announced the decision after Umaid Singh left the Congress and joined our party yesterday (Tuesday),” Ali said, adding that the decision had party chief Mayawati’s approval. [caption id=“attachment_469345” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] BSP chief Mayawati has approved the decision. Reuters[/caption] Phoolan Devi was a dacoit and her writ ran large in Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. After her release from jail, she joined the Samajwadi Party (SP). Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav fielded her from Mirzapur. She won from the Lok Sabha seat twice (1996 and 1999). In 2001, she was shot dead outside her New Delhi residence. Soon after his wife’s death, Singh had shown inclination towards politics and was saddled in the SP for some time. He later joined the Congress but kept a low profile. IANS