A senior leader of the Samajwadi Party (SP) disclosed on Wednesday that party chief Akhilesh Yadav is set to contest the upcoming Lok Sabha elections from the Kannauj constituency in Uttar Pradesh. The leader mentioned that Yadav will formally file his nomination at 12 pm on Thursday, although there has been no official confirmation yet.
Earlier, the SP had announced Tej Pratap Yadav, Akhilesh Yadav’s nephew and the son-in-law of RJD president Lalu Prasad Yadav, as its candidate for the Kannauj seat. However, recent speculations have suggested that Yadav himself may enter the fray from this constituency.
The voting for the Kannauj seat is scheduled to take place in the fourth phase of the Lok Sabha elections on May 13.
Regarding the speculation surrounding his potential candidacy from Kannauj, Akhilesh Yadav hinted at the possibility without confirming it outright. He stated to the media, “See, when there are nominations, you will get to know. Maybe you will get to know before nominations also.” Yadav emphasized the significance of securing a historic victory from the constituency and expressed confidence in the electorate’s support for the INDIA bloc, predicting a defeat for the NDA.
Akhilesh Yadav has a notable history with the Kannauj constituency, having won it in 2000, represented it in 2004 and 2009, and later vacated it in 2012 upon assuming the chief ministerial role. His wife, Dimple Yadav, won the subsequent by-election uncontested. In 2014, Dimple secured the Kannauj seat, but it was lost to the BJP in 2019.
In the context of the Lok Sabha elections in Uttar Pradesh, the SP and Congress have reached a seat-sharing agreement. The Akhilesh Yadav-led party is slated to contest on 63 seats in the state, while the Congress will contest on 17 seats.
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