Noida, Mar 16 (PTI) The Samajwadi Party on Saturday declared Mahendra Singh Nagar as its candidate from the Gautam Buddh Nagar Lok Sabha constituency in western Uttar Pradesh.

A qualified doctor, Nagar will take on sitting MP Mahesh Sharma, also a physician and seeking a straight third term.

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Polling for the 543 Lok Sabha seats will be held in seven phases, starting with 102 in the first phase on April 19. The votes will be counted on June 4.

Nagar's name featured in the Samajwadi Party's fifth list of candidates for the parliamentary elections in Uttar Pradesh, which sends 80 MPs to the Lok Sabha.

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Nagar, who belongs to the Gurjar community, was earlier with the Congress.

Earlier this month, the BJP announced Sharma's candidature. The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), which is contesting the Lok Sabha polls independently, is yet to declare its candidate from the constituency.

Sharma won from the seat in 2019 and 2014 after losing to the BSP's Surendra Singh Nagar in 2009. Surendra Singh Nagar later switched to the BJP and is currently a Rajya Sabha member.

Gautam Buddh Nagar will go to polls on April 26 in the second phase of the elections, according to the Election Commission's schedule announced on Saturday.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)