The Samajwadi Party on Friday released the names of nine candidates who will contest in Uttar Pradesh for the Lok Sabha elections.
In its first list, announced early on Friday, it said the party’s founder, former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav, will contest from Mainpuri seat, The Times of India reported. Samajwadi Party MP and Yadav’s nephew Dharmendra Yadav will contest from Badaun, while Rajya Sabha MP Ram Gopal Yadav’s son, Akshay Yadav, will contest from Firozabad.
Later in the day, the party released another list of three candidates. Two-time MP Dimple Yadav, who is married to SP chief Akhilesh Yadav, will contest from Kannauj. Usha Verma will contest from Hardoi and Poorvi Verma from Lakhimpur Kheri.
Mulayam Singh Yadav, who is currently an MP from Azamgarh, won from the Mainpuri seat in 1996, 2004 and 2009. In 2014, he contested from Azamgarh and Mainpuri and won both, PTI reported. Mainpuri is thus considered a “safe seat” for the party patriarch.
The Samajwadi Party, the Bahujan Samaj Party and the Rashtriya Lok Dal have announced an alliance in Uttar Pradesh, but the alliance will not contest in Amethi and Rae Bareli. Congress President Rahul Gandhi and United Progressive Alliance Chairperson Sonia Gandhi hold the Amethi and Rae Bareli seats.
There was uncertainty over whether Mulayam Singh Yadav would contest the 2019 elections, the Hindustan Times reported. The daily said the Samajwadi Party patriarch had last month expressed displeasure over “delay in seat declaration in Samajwadi Party”.
In December last year, he had attended a rally by his brother Shivpal Yadav, who is the chief of the breakaway Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party (Lohia). Shivpal Yadav, who has fallen out with Akhilesh Yadav, floated the Samajwadi Secular Morcha in August. Two months later, he launched the new outfit.
In February, Mulayam Singh Yadav praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the last day of the 16th Lok Sabha. “I want to congratulate the prime minister that he tried to move ahead taking everyone along,” he said. “I hope all members to win and return, and you [Modi] become prime minister again.”
The Samajwadi Party released its list of candidates a day after the Congress announced its first list of 11 candidates for Uttar Pradesh and four seats in Gujarat.
The Lok Sabha elections are expected to be held in April and May. Uttar Pradesh sends 80 legislators to the Parliament.
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