Putting an end to speculations, Samajwadi Party on Wednesday announced party chief and former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav as the candidate from the Kannauj Lok Sabha constituency.
The party announced that Akhilesh Yadav would file his nomination from Kannauj seat tomorrow at 12 pm.
The Samajwadi Party had on Monday declared Tej Pratap Yadav as its candidate from Kannauj in Uttar Pradesh. Tej Pratap Yadav Yadav, who is a grand-nephew of SP patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav and son-in-law of RJD leader Lalu Prasad Yadav, had represented the Mainpuri seat from 2014-2019.
However, there were speculation that former chief minister Akhilesh Yadav would contest from the Kannauj seat.
While speaking to reporters in Etawah, Akhilesh, while responding to the question on whether he would contest from Kannauj said. "When the nominations would be done, you would know. The question is on historic win in Kannauj. The public have made their mind that I.N.D.I.A alliance is coming as the future and the BJP will become the history."
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In the 2019 elections, the Kannauj seat was won by BJP's Subrat Pathak, who defeated Akhilesh Yadav's wife Dimple Yadav.
So far, five members of the Yadav family are in fray in the upcoming Lok Sabha Elections. Akhilesh has pitched five members of his family — Dimple Yadav from Mainpuri, nephew Tej Pratap Singh Yadav from Kannauj, Aditya Yadav from Badaun and cousins Dharmendra and Akshay from Azamgarh and Firozabad, respectively.
Akhilesh Yadav had previously won the Azamgarh seat in Eastern Uttar Pradesh in 2019, where his party has won four out of nine elections since 1996. However, this time, Akhilesh has named Dharmendra Yadav as SP's candidate from Azamgarh.