Ahead of the second phase of the Lok Sabha Elections, Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav, Accompanied by SP MP Ramgopal Yadav, officially filed his nomination for the Kannauj Lok Sabha seat in Uttar Pradesh on Thursday.
Akhilesh Yadav submitted his nomination papers, reaffirming his commitment to represent Kannauj in the Lok Sabha. The Samajwady Party chief previously also served as the Lok Sabha MP from 2000 to 2012. However, he vacated the Kannauj parliamentary seat in 2012 when he assumed office as the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh. This was folowed after the 2017 state elections where the SP failed to form a government, Akhilesh Yadav submitted his resignation to the Governor. He returned to the Lok Sabha in 2019 and secured a seat in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly in 2022. Following the recent state polls, Yadav relinquished his Lok Sabha membership while retaining his state assembly constituency.
The SP’s electoral lineup extends beyond Kannauj, with the party fielding Tej Pratap Yadav, Akhilesh’s nephew and son-in-law of RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav, as a candidate. Under the seat-sharing agreement between the Samajwadi Party and Congress in Uttar Pradesh, the Congress is contesting on 17 seats, while the Samajwadi Party has secured the remaining 63 seats in the state.
The electoral battle for Kannauj is slated for the fourth phase of the Lok Sabha elections on May 13, reflecting the growing anticipation and strategic maneuvers within Uttar Pradesh’s political landscape.
Earlier today, Shivpal Singh Yadav expressed confidence in Akhilesh’s electoral prospects in Kannauj, emphasizing past victories by the Yadav family in the region. “He (Akhilesh) will win with a big majority. Earlier, Akhilesh Yadav and Dimple Yadav won that seat (Kannauj). And this time again, Akhilesh Yadav will win. Dimple will win from Mainpuri. Everyone knows that Netaji (Mulayam Singh Yadav) used to fight from here and win,” stated Shivpal Singh Yadav.
Moreover, in a significant development, sources indicate that the Gandhi siblings, Priyanka and Rahul Gandhi, are poised to enter the electoral fray in Uttar Pradesh. Priyanka Gandhi is likely to contest from Rae Bareli, the erstwhile seat of Sonia Gandhi, while Rahul Gandhi is expected to challenge Union Minister Smriti Irani once again in Amethi.
Reflecting on the broader political landscape, the BJP emerged triumphant in the 2019 general elections in Uttar Pradesh, securing 62 out of 80 seats, complemented by two seats from its ally Apna Dal (S). The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) secured 10 seats, whereas Akhilesh Yadav’s SP clinched five seats. Conversely, the Congress party managed to secure only one seat, underscoring the shifting dynamics and strategic imperatives in the upcoming electoral contest.
