Confirming the SP decision, Mitrasen Yadav said: “The party’s national general secretary Amar Singh has confirmed that I will be contesting the Lok Sabha polls on SP ticket from Faizabad”.

Mishra, who had been with the VHP’s Ram temple movement from its early days, has a considerable following among the Brahmins of Ayodhya and Faizabad.

Mitrasen Yadav, a former CPI man, has support among the backward communities and minorities.

He also has about 35 criminal cases registered against him in different police stations of Faizabad.

According to BSP sources, Yadav was denied the party ticket because of his involvement in the human trafficking case, along with BJP parliamentarian Babubhai Katara. Also, his legislator son Anandsen’s involvement in the murder of Dalit law student Shashi had made the father and son a liability.

In the last election, Mitrasen Yadav had won from Faizabad as the BSP candidate, defeating the BJP and SP candidates with huge margins.

Anandsen was inducted in the state ministry, but had to resign after he was named in the Shashi murder case.