Akhilesh Yadav to Contest Lok Sabha Election from Kannauj Constituency

Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav will contest the upcoming Lok Sabha elections from the Kannauj constituency in Uttar Pradesh, the party announced on Wednesday. Yadav will file his nomination papers as the SP candidate from Kannauj on Thursday, April 25.

Kannauj has been a Yadav family bastion, with the SP winning the seat six times since 1999 until the BJP wrested it in 2019. Akhilesh Yadav first became an MP from Kannauj in 2000 and won the seat again in 2004 and 2009 before vacating it in 2012 when he became the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh. His wife, Dimple Yadav, later won the seat in a bypoll and retained it in 2014 but lost it to the BJP in 2019.

Initially, the SP had announced the candidature of Tej Pratap Singh Yadav, Akhilesh's nephew, for the Kannauj seat. However, after two days of convincing by the party's local leadership, Akhilesh decided to contest from the seat himself. The announcement of Tej Pratap's candidature had dampened the enthusiasm of the party workers, who had already made up their minds in favor of Akhilesh Yadav.

Why this matters: Akhilesh Yadav's decision to contest from Kannauj is seen as a strategic move to galvanize the party's cadre and supporters in the region and neighboring Lok Sabha constituencies. The Kannauj Lok Sabha seat will go to polls in the fourth phase on May 13, making it a key battleground in Uttar Pradesh.

The BJP has fielded sitting MP and its Uttar Pradesh general secretary Subrat Pathak from the seat, while the BSP has nominated Imran Bin Zafar. In the 2019 general elections, the BJP emerged victorious in Uttar Pradesh, securing 62 out of 80 seats, while Yadav's SP party won 5 seats. The SP and Congress are in a seat-sharing agreement for the Lok Sabha election in Uttar Pradesh, with the SP contesting on 63 seats and the Congress on 17 seats.

When asked about his decision to contest from Kannauj, Yadav said, "The question is about a historic victory from the seat. The BJP will become history in this election as people have made up their mind for the INDIA bloc." The voting for the Kannauj seat will be held on May 13, with the results declared on June 4.

Key Takeaways

• Akhilesh Yadav to contest Lok Sabha polls from Kannauj, UP
• Kannauj has been a Yadav family bastion, won by SP 6 times since 1999
• BJP's Subrat Pathak and BSP's Imran Bin Zafar also in the fray
• SP-Congress alliance: SP to contest 63 seats, Congress 17 in UP
• Voting in Kannauj on May 13, results on June 4