Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav files his nomination from Kannauj Lok Sabha seat on Thursday.
The SP chief replaced his nephew Tej Pratap Yadav as the party’s candidate from Kannauj. On Monday, the Samajwad Party had declared his nephew Tej Pratap as its candidate from Kannauj but changed its decision on Wednesday.
Tej Pratap was party’s MP from Mainpuri between 2014-19.
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According to NDTV report, the switch was the result of discontent among SP workers, who were keen that the party boss contest the family seat.Yadav had originally opted against contesting this election since he wanted time to plan the overall strategy.
Akhilesh had won the Kannauj Lok Sabha seat first in 2000 and later represented it in 2004 and 2009.
He vacated the seat after he became the Uttar Pradesh chief minister in 2012, and his wife Dimple Yadav won the by-election unopposed.
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Dimple also won in 2014 but lost the seat to BJP’s Subrat Pathak in 2019.
Akhilesh, an MLA from the Karhal assembly seat in Mainpuri, is the Leader of Opposition in the Uttar Pradesh assembly.
Voting will be held in Kannauj on May 13 in the fourth phase of the ongoing Lok Sabha elections.
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Yadav filed the nomination in the presence of party leaders, including Ram Gopal Yadav.
In Uttar Pradesh, the SP and Congress have formed an alliance as part of the INDIA block to defeat PM Modi-led Central government.
The Congress is contesting from 17 seats while the SP and other parties of the alliance will field its candidates in 63 of the 80 parliamentary seats in politically crucial Uttar Pradesh.
Uttar Pradesh, with 80 Lok Sabha seats, holds significance in the national electoral landscape, often being referred to as the key to Delhi–determining the role of the national government.
In 2019, the Bharatiya Janata Party achieved a landslide victory in Uttar Pradesh winning 62 of the 80 seats of Uttar Pradesh.
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Published: 25 Apr 2024, 12:50 PM IST