New Delhi: A day after announcing withdrawal from Lucknow Lok Sabha constituency in the fight against Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Congress-backed Ram Jethmalani today (April 17, 2004) backtracked declaring that he would remain in the fray.

"No one has any authority to withdraw my candidature from the Parliamentary election. I remain a contesting candidate," the noted Supreme Court lawyer said in a letter to the returning officer, Lucknow, copies of which were circulated in Delhi by Congress and his associate Swami Agnivesh, former MP.

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Political Parties in India

In London, Jethmalani confirmed that he has sent a letter to the returning officer of Lucknow saying he was in the fray and no one has any authority to withdraw his candidature.

He admitted that there was family pressure on him to withdraw his candidature.

"In politics sometimes one has to choose between friendship and dignity. My conscience tells me that I should ignore friendship," Jethmalani said apparently referring to Vajpayee's appeal to him to withdraw from the contest.

He said Akhilesh Das, who has filed nomination as Congress candidate after his announcement not to contest, will withdraw from the fray.