The party released a list of 40 members which did not include Mulayam’s name who is an MP from Azamgarh constituency, while it included names of other MPs from the party.
The top five names in the list were that of party president Akhilesh Yadav, Rajya Sabha member Ram Gopal Yadav, party’s national general secretary Azam Khan, Rajya Sabha member Jaya Bachchan and Akhilesh’s wife and MP from Kannauj Dimple Yadav.
The list included names like party’s national secretary Rajendra Chaudhary, Ram Govind Chaudhary who has been serving as the leader of the Opposition in the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly since 2017, leader of the Opposition in the Uttar Pradesh Legislative council Ahmad Hassan, Rajya Sabha member Javed Ali Khan, Mainpuri MP Tej Pratap Singh Yadav, party’s general secretary for minority board Maulana Yaseen Ali Usmani, among others.
This time, Akhilesh Yadav will contest election from Azamgarh seat, from where Mulayam Singh Yadav is the sitting MP.
READ: Akhilesh Yadav to contest from Azamgarh; Azam Khan from Rampur
Cornering of Mulayam ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, hints at a tactical shift within the Samajwadi Party, drifting away from the party's old guard.