Approximately two days after revealing the candidacy of his nephew Tej Pratap Yadav for the Kannauj Lok Sabha seat in Uttar Pradesh, Akhilesh Yadav, the President of the Samajwadi Party, has made a surprising announcement by declaring himself as a candidate for the same constituency.
The official social media account of the Samajwadi Party announced that Akhilesh Yadav would officially submit his nomination papers for the Kannauj seat on Thursday at noon.
Sources within the party suggest that there was discontent among the Samajwadi Party's members regarding Tej Pratap’s candidacy, with many expressing a preference for the party leader himself to contest the seat.
Akhilesh Yadav has a history with the Kannauj seat, having previously won it in a by-election in 2000, and subsequently in the general elections of 2004 and 2009. His wife, Dimple Yadav, also secured victories in the 2012 by-election and the 2014 general elections. However, she faced defeat against the BJP candidate in 2019.
Party insiders reveal that Akhilesh Yadav initially decided against entering the electoral race to focus on the campaign efforts. Tej Pratap Yadav, who previously represented Mainpuri in the parliament, was the chosen candidate before this surprising turn of events.
