Lucknow: Nearly 48 hours following the proclamation of his nephew Tej Pratap Yadav’s candidacy for the Kannauj Lok Sabha constituency in Uttar Pradesh, President of the Samajwadi Party, Akhilesh Yadav, has now disclosed his own bid for the same seat.
The Samajwadi Party affirmed on its X platform that Akhilesh Yadav intends to submit his nomination papers in Kannauj at midday on Thursday. The party announced that Akhilesh Yadav shall file his papers on Thursday, marking the commencement of nominations. “The national leader, Akhilesh Yadav, will officially submit his nomination for the Kannauj Lok Sabha seat at noon tomorrow, representing the Samajwadi Party,” the party conveyed in Hindi on X during the evening.
Earlier this week, the SP had put forward his nephew Tej Pratap Yadav as its nominee for the Kannauj parliamentary constituency. Responding to queries about his intentions earlier in the day, Akhilesh remarked, “Clarity shall emerge prior to the nominations.” “Perhaps enlightenment will precede the nominations,” he added, addressing subsequent inquiries.
When questioned if the party’s workers in Kannauj were keen for him to vie for the seat, Yadav replied, “The essence here lies in securing a monumental triumph from this constituency. The BJP is poised to be consigned to the annals of history in this election, as the populace has resolved to back the INDIA coalition. The people are poised to cast their ballots against the NDA.” “The PDA will triumph over the NDA this time,” he asserted. PDA denotes the disadvantaged (backwards), Dalits, and minorities.
Tej Pratap previously served as the SP MP for Mainpuri between 2014 and 2019. He also holds the distinction of being the son-in-law of RJD president Lalu Prasad Yadav. Akhilesh initially clinched the Kannauj parliamentary seat in 2000 and subsequently represented it in 2004 and 2009. He relinquished the seat upon assuming the role of Uttar Pradesh chief minister in 2012, with his wife Dimple Yadav winning the by-election unopposed.
Dimple also secured victory in 2014 but ceded the seat to BJP’s Subrat Pathak in 2019. Akhilesh, an MLA from the Karhal assembly constituency in Mainpuri, presently serves as the Leader of Opposition in the UP assembly. The ballot for the Kannauj seat is slated for May 13 during the fourth phase of the ongoing Lok Sabha elections.