Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav has finally filed his nomination papers for the Kannauj Lok Sabha constituency in Uttar Pradesh, only a day after BJP nominee Subrat Pathak completed his nomination process.
In an interview to the journalists, Pathak invited an analogical comparison of the electoral contest with a cricket match of India with its surrounding countries. He assured that winning the seat would be India's matter regardless of the other contender. This implies Pathak's tremendous confidence that he would make it for the BJP ticket.
Earlier, the Samajwadi Party declared Tej Pratap Yadav as its Kannauj candidate. However, on the last day, Akhilesh Yadav replaced him, indicating a change of tack in the party's strategy.
Akhilesh Yadav had a past history with the Kannauj constituency. He began his political career there with a by-election win in 2000. He won the next two general elections in 2004 and 2009.
His wife, Dimple Yadav, won the seat in the 2012 by-election and the following general elections in 2014. However, in the last assembly elections in 2019, the BJP wrested the seat away from the Samajwadi Party. Till very recently, Akhilesh Yadav had refused to contest elections. He had a change of heart after facing immense pressure from party workers in Kannauj, which explains the importance of the seat and the party's commitment to retrieve it.
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