Akhilesh to make electoral debut in UP elections from Karhal seat

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav will make his debut in state assembly elections contesting from the Karhal seat in Mainpuri district, which is a Yadav family stronghold, in the forthcoming crucial UP polls.

This news was shared by Akhilesh Yadav’s uncle and Rajya Sabha MP Ram Gopal Yadav at a press conference today (January 22). “I am making a formal official announcement now. Our national president Akhilesh Yadav will contest the Karhal assembly constituency in Mainpuri, and he will win with massive mandate,” Ram Gopal Yadav said at a press conference where Akhilesh was also present, said news reports.

Karhal has always favoured a SP candidate in every election since 1993, with an exception in 2002, when a BJP candidate Sobaran Yadav had won the seat in 2002. Yet, the constituency went back to voting for Yadav’s party in 2007. The seat is currently held by Sobaran Yadav, who jumped ship and has been contesting on the SP ticket from here since 2007.

Interestingly, Karhal is also one of five assembly seats that comprise the Mainpuri Lok Sabha seat. It is from this Lok Sabha seat that Yadav’s father, and SP founder, Mulayam Singh Yadav had won five times.

Karhal, which is scheduled to go to polls in the third phase of the elections on February 20, is also located just 5 km from Saifai, the Yadav family’s home village.

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This confirmation that Akhilesh Yadav, who is posing a massive challenge to the ruling BJP – comes after weeks of conjecture about whether he will contest in this election at all.

In November, Akhilesh, who had never fought an assembly election before said he would not contest this election as well. But, news websites reported that his party members however had clarified that a collective decision had to be taken on this issue. Of late, Akhilesh Yadav too had been dropping hints that he would contest the election if his party wanted it.

Yogi Adityanath, like Akhilesh Yadav had taken the Vidhan Parishad route to become members of the UP legislature, when he became chief ministers of the state. Akhilesh is currently Azamgarh MP.