Kanpur: After a gap of 15 long years, BJP candidate Satyadeo Pachauri, 71, is all set to contest Lok Sabha polls against heavyweight Congress veteran Sriprakash Jaiswal, 74, who had defeated him by a thin margin of 5,000 votes in 2004 Lok Sabha elections.Pachauri has represented state assembly thrice and became a state minister for the first time in 2017. He was again given ticket by BJP from Kanpur Nagar after Joshi was asked by the party high command to not contest.According to party insiders, earlier the name of Pachauri’s daughter Nitu Singh, with her strong RSS links, was making rounds but the leadership finally agreed on Pachauri’s candidature.“All I want is to defeat the Congress.. I want to take it from where I had left in 2004,” Pachauri told TOI. “As a state minister, I have brought several projects for the overall development of the industrial city. People know I am their son and I am happy to contest from here.”The Congress has fielded three-time MP Jaiswal, who had also served as the mayor.Many voters, however, appreciate what Jaiswal has done for the city. “We still cannot forget his efforts in bringing the city on air map, besides giving several Delhi-bound trains,” said Amit Srivastava, a local.Jaiswal exuded confidence that UPA will form the next government at Centre.“I have been contesting almost every election against BJP, and so is this time. Also, I am quite confident of winning the seat for the fourth time,” Jaiswal said while talking to TOI.

Stay updated with all the Kanpur Live News headlines here. For more exclusive & live news updates from all around India, stay connected with NYOOOZ.