SP fields former BSF constable Tej Bahadur Yadav against Modi from Varanasi

The cold war between Uttar Pradesh’s mahagathbandhan, or grand alliance, and the Congress took another twist on Monday when the SP nominated sacked Border Security Force (BSF) constable Tej Bahadur Yadav (pictured) as its candidate against Prime Minister Narendra Modi from the Varanasi Lok Sabha seat.
 
Several smaller parties, including the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and some Left parties, welcomed the move. They expressed the hope that the Congress would now withdraw its candidate to support Tej Bahadur.
 
In UP, the SP is in alliance with the BSP and the Rashtriya Lok Dal. As part of this, the