Lok Sabha polls: Akhilesh Yadav to contest from Kannauj; to file nomination tomorrow

Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh): Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav will contest the general elections from Kannauj Lok Sabha constituency, the party said on Wednesday, just days after it declared Tej Pratap Yadav as its candidate from the seat.

The Party, in a post on X, said that the SP Chief will file his nomination from Kannauj Lok Sabha seat on Thursday.

"Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav to file nomination papers as party candidate from Kannauj Lok Sabha tomorrow," it said.

Tej Pratap, a former MP from Mainpuri and nephew of Akhilesh Yadav is also the son-in-law of RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav. He is married to Lalu's daughter Raj Laxmi Yadav.

Tej Pratap is the grandson of late SP founder Mulayam Singh Yadav's brother Ranveer Singh. He was Mainpuri MP from 2014 to 2019.

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.

In the 2019 general elections, the BJP emerged triumphant, securing 62 out of 80 seats in Uttar Pradesh, supplemented by two seats clinched by its ally Apna Dal (S). Mayawati's BSP managed to secure 10 seats, while Akhilesh Yadav's SP garnered five. Conversely, the Congress party secured only one seat.