After a series of flip-flops, the Samajwadi Party (SP) declared on Wednesday that Akhilesh Yadav would be the party’s candidate for the Kannauj Lok Sabha seat, replacing his nephew, Tej Pratap Singh Yadav, whose candidature was announced on April 22. A post from the party’s official Twitter handle stated that the SP national president would ‘file his nomination papers for Kannauj at noon tomorrow (April 25)’. Senior SP politicians said the decision was taken following pressure from district-level functionaries in Kannauj. They believed that Akhilesh Yadav’s candidacy would ensure the party’s victory in Kannauj and surrounding constituencies. The change in candidate comes amid reports of internal divisions within the SP over the choice of candidate for Kannauj. Some party leaders had reportedly expressed reservations about Tej Pratap Singh Yadav’s ability to win the seat, citing his lack of political experience. Akhilesh Yadav, a former chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, is seen as a more formidable candidate and is expected to give the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) a tough fight in Kannauj. The BJP has fielded its sitting MP, Subrat Pathak, from the seat. The Kannauj Lok Sabha constituency is considered a stronghold of the SP. The party has won the seat in the last three general elections. Akhilesh Yadav’s father, Mulayam Singh Yadav, represented Kannauj in the Lok Sabha from 1999 to 2014. The SP is hoping to retain the seat with Akhilesh Yadav as its candidate.
Samajwadi Party Declares Akhilesh Yadav as Kannauj LS Candidate, Replacing Tej Pratap
