Fatehpur, Feb 28 (UNI) Dreaded dacoit Shiv Kumar alias Dadua's brother is planning to enter the electoral fray in the upcoming Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh.

Dadua is carrying a reward of Rs 50,000 on his head and has several criminal cases pending against him in UP as well as Madhya Pradesh.

''I hope to contest from Bara in Allahabad for which I have already knocked doors of the ruling Samajwadi Party (SP) for a ticket,'' Dadhua's sibling Bal Kumar Patel told UNI here today.

Bal Kumar had unsuccessfully contested the last Vidhan Sabha polls from Karchana area of Allahabad on the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) ticket.

Earlier, the SP had offered ticket to Bal Kumar from Karwi, Chitrakoot, Patti and Pratapgarh Assembly seats but he refused.

Dadua has a great influence on the Kurmi community. The Banda Assembly seat used to be a challenge for the SP as it had no candidate ever since it got elected from there.

In the last Assembly polls, the SP finally won the seat for the first time after Dadua asked the Kurmis to cast votes only in favour of the SP, sources said.

According to the sources, Dadua has the power to decide the fate of any political party in Bara, Karchana (Allahabad), Mau Manikpur, Karwi (Chitrakoot), Kishunpur Khaga, Bindki, Jahanabad (Fatehpur), Siraju, Manjhanpur, Chayal (Kaushambi), Waveru, Naraini (Banda) and Reevan, Satna and Panna (Madhya Pradesh).

The Election Commision has announced a seven-phase schedule for the elections to the UP Legislative Assembly, starting from April 7 and ending on May 8.

In Allahabad, voters will cast their votes in the sixth phase of elections on May 3.

UNI