Akhilesh Yadav will file his nomination from the Kannauj Lok Sabha seat on Thursday, Samajwadi Party leader Ram Gopal Yadav told media. He said that there is no confusion about the Samajwadi Party candidate from the seat.
The party leader’s statement comes just days after the Samajwadi Party declared Tej Pratap Yadav, nephew of Akhilesh Yadav, as its candidate from Kannauj in Uttar Pradesh. Ram Gopal Yadav has now said that Akhilesh Yadav himself will contest from the seat.
When Akhilesh Yadav was asked about the speculation of him contesting from Kannauj, he said, "When nomination happens, then you will come to know. The question is of Kannauj's historic victory."
"The people have made up their minds that the INDIA bloc is coming as the future and BJP will be history in this election," Akhilesh Yadav was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
Akhilesh Yadav served as Lok Sabha MP from 2000-2012. He resigned from the Kannauj parliamentary seat in 2012 after he became the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh. In 2017, his party was unable to form government in UP and he submitted his resignation to the Governor. He was elected Lok Sabha MP in 2019, and went on to be elected to the UP Assembly in 2022. Following the UP Assembly polls, Yadav resigned as Lok Sabha MP and retained his state assembly seat.
An India Today Ground Report had earlier discovered that the Samajwadi Party workers in Kannauj were taken by surprise over Tej Pratap's candidature and were upset with the party's decision.
Sources had said that SP workers in Kannauj were not ready to accept Tej Pratap’s candidacy. The locals also believed that the BJP would have an edge in the contest if Akhilesh Yadav doesn't contest from Kannauj.
The Lok Sabha seat was a Samajwadi Party bastion till BJP MP Subrat Pathak won from the seat in 2019 polls.
In an exclusive interview with India Today TV, Pathak claimed that Kannauj is no longer an SP stronghold after his win in 2019. “I wanted Akhilesh Yadav to contest from Kannauj, because now there is no enthusiasm left in the election with Tej Pratap's candidacy,” said Pathak.
However, party leader Ram Gopal Yadav has now said that Akhilesh Yadav will file his nomination from the Kannauj seat at 12 pm Thursday.
