Akhilesh Maintains Suspense Over His Candidature from Kannauj Seat

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav. (PTI file photo)

Two days after the Samajwadi Party declared its candidate for the Kannauj parliamentary seat, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday stoked speculation that he might himself contest from the constituency.

The Samajwadi Party (SP) has already declared Tej Pratap Yadav as its candidate from the seat for which nominations will start from April 25.

When asked whether he will contest from the seat or Tej Pratap will remain the party’s candidate, Yadav told reporters, “See, when there are nominations, you will get to know. Maybe you will get to know before nominations also.”

When asked whether party workers of Kannauj wanted him to contest from the seat, Yadav said, “The question here is of historic victory from the seat. The BJP will become history in this election as people have made up their mind for INDIA bloc. People are going to vote against the NDA. PDA (picchde, Dalit, alpsankhyak) will defeat the NDA this time.”

Tej Pratap, who has been made party candidate from Kannauj, was the SP MP from Mainpuri between 2014-2019. He is also the son-in-law of RJD president Lalu Prasad Yadav and Akhilesh Yadav’s nephew.

Akhilesh had won from the Kannauj seat in 2000. Later, he represented the seat in 2004, 2009 and he left the seat after he became chief minister in 2012, and his wife Dimple Yadav won the by-election unopposed. Later, Dimple won from the seat in 2014 but she lost to BJP’s Subrat Pathak in 2019.

Voting on this seat will be held on May 13.

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