UP Election 2022: SP To Field Senior BJP Leader’s Wife Against CM Yogi Adityanath In Gorakhpur

Subhavati Shukla is the wife of late Upendra Dutt Shukla, who was BJP’s state vice-president. Akhilesh Yadav now looks to position her as Samajwadi Party’s challenger to CM Adityanath in Gorakhpur.

File Photo: PTI

New Delhi: Samajwadi Party is set to field Subhavati Shukla to challenge Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in the contest for the Gorakhpur Sadar seat. 

Subhavati Shukla is the wife of late Upendra Dutt Shukla, who was BJP’s state vice-president. 

Upendra Dutt Shukla died in 2020 at the age of 60 after suffering a cardiac arrest. According to a report by the Times Of India, Shukla had contested three elections from the Kaudiram assembly seat (which was later dissolved in Gorakhpur Rural), and one by-election from Gorakhpur.

Even though he failed to win, he was made BJP’s state vice-president, having served the party since 1981. Before that, he had become a part of the RSS in 1975.

As his wife Subhavati Shukla and two sons joined the Samajwadi Party on Thursday, Akhilesh Yadav now looks to position Subhavati Shukla as Samajwadi Party’s challenger to CM Adityanath in Gorakhpur.

Chandra Shekhar Aazad To Contest From Gorakhpur Sadar Seat

Earlier in the day, Aazad Samaj Party (Kanshiram) announced that Chandra Shekhar Aazad will fight the Uttar Pradesh assembly election from the Gorakhpur Sadar seat.

The 35-year-old lawyer-turned-activist had co-founded the Dalit rights outfit Bhim Army and he is its national president.

He launched the ASP(K) in March 2020 and is the party’s president.

Chandra Shekhar Aazad had been in talks with the Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party for a tie-up to contest the polls but was offered only two seats by it. Expressing displeasure over the same, Aazad had said that his party would no longer approach the SP for alliance as it was a matter of self-respect, adding that he was open to finding new allies for the polls.

Uttar Pradesh assembly election is slated to be held in seven phases, starting from February 10 till March 7. The polling in Uttar Pradesh will be held on February 10, 14, 20, 23, 27 and March 3 and 7.

Gorakhpur Sadar goes to polls on March 3 during the sixth phase of elections in UP. The results will be declared on March 10.