Prayagraj, Oct. 19 -- The Allahabad High Court has suspended the conviction and life sentence of a murder convict who wants to contest the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, preferably on a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ticket or otherwise as an independent.

A bench of Justice Siddharth and Justice Vinai Kumar Dwivedi passed the order on October 5 on a plea by Nandlal Rai alias Babloo Rai.

Rai's counsel told the court that the man was an active BJP worker before his conviction. His counsel said he wished to contest the polls "as independent candidate or if possible from BJP."

A Varanasi court had sentenced Rai to life imprisonment in April 2025. The Allahabad High Court granted him bail and stayed his conviction until his appeal aga...