LUCKNOW: Putting a lid on the possibility of Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav contesting the ensuing Lok Sabha polls, the party on Monday announced the name of his nephew Tej Pratap Yadav as the party candidate from Kannauj.
With the announcement of Tej Pratap’s name, now five members of Yadav family are in fray — Dimple Yadav from Mainpuri, Akshaya Yadav from Firozabad, Aditya Yadav from Badaun and Dharmendra Yadav from Azamgarh.
Initially, Akhilesh had shown an inclination to contest from the seat but after his run-in with jailed SP leader Azam Khan over Rampur Lok Sabha seat, the SP chief withdrew himself from the contest from any seat in the state.
During Akhilesh’s meeting with Azam Khan in Sitapur jail on March 22, the latter had suggested the SP chief to contest from Rampur but Akhilesh did not agree to it and announced that he would not contest the Lok Sabha polls at all.
However, after the twists and turns that followed, the party fielded Maulana Mohibullah Nadvi from the Rampur.
The other factor that played out for SP chief to decide against contesting the LS polls was that it would have got him engaged in his own campaign restricting him from canvassing for the party candidates across the state.
“The ground reports from the eight constituencies of the first phase strongly suggest that INDIA bloc is on a sound footing. Consequently, it was decided that the SP chief leading the party campaign across the state would be a better option,” said a senior party leader.
Earlier, Tej Pratap had contested 2014 Mainpuri Lok Sabha bypoll at 26 after SMulayam Singh Yadav vacated the seat. In 2019 Lok Sabha polls, he had headed Mulayam’s election campaign in Mainpuri. In 2022 assembly polls, he led Akhilesh’s campaign in Karhal.