Samajwadi Party chief and former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav will contest the Lok Sabha elections from Azamgarh seat, the party announced on Sunday. His father Mulayam Singh Yadav is the sitting MP from Azamgarh in eastern Uttar Pradesh. Mulayam Singh Yadav is the party’s candidate from Mainpuri this year.
Azamgarh’s voters include Yadavs, Jatavs and Muslims – the three communities who are considered a vote bank of the Samajwadi Party-Bahujan Samaj Party alliance in the state. In the 2014 General Elections, the combined vote percentage of the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party in Azamgarh was over 63.
Azamgarh is perceived as a safe seat, unidentified party officials told NDTV. The Samajwadi Party also announced that former Uttar Pradesh minister Azam Khan will contest from Rampur.
The Samajwadi Party will field candidates in 37 seats out of 40, while its ally, the Bahujan Samaj Party, will fight in 38 seats. Despite ruling out an alliance with the Congress, the alliance had left Amethi and Rae Bareli to the Congress.
Meanwhile, Mulayam Singh Yadav’s name featured in the Samajwadi Party’s second list of star campaigners. His name was missing from the first list, which included Ram Gopal Yadav, Azam Khan, Dimple Yadav and Jaya Bachchan.
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