Hopeful of 'Repeating History', Akhilesh Yadav Files Poll Papers from Kannauj | Why This UP Seat is Big Deal for SP

History will be repeated, a new future will be created, said Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday, while posting an old picture of him filing the nomination papers along with then Rajya Sabha member Amar Singh.

Around noon, Akhilesh once again filed his papers from Kannauj after 2009 Lok Sabha elections. But this time, instead of once-powerful Amar Singh (who passed away in 2020), uncle Ram Gopal Yadav arrived in the Uttar Pradesh town to support the SP chief.

Why Did Akhilesh Chose Kannauj?

Political experts believe that firstly, Akhilesh wanted to end speculations and put a full stop to questions on why the SP president himself is staying away from the electoral fight.

Secondly, Kannauj Lok Sabha constituency has been a traditional Samajwadi Party seat for decades. In the year 1967, Ram Manohar Lohia had won the election as a Samyukta Socialist Party candidate, following which Janata Party held the seat twice.

The seat then went to the SP and became their traditional seat due to charismatic strategy of Akhilesh’s father and former UP CM Mulayam Singh Yadav. Mulayam had been leading party since 1998.

After almost 21 years of dominance, in 2019, BJP’s Subrata Pathak finally defeated Akhilesh’s wife Dimple Yadav, and with that, Kannauj turned saffron.

Some reports stated that the party believed that Akhilesh’s candidature will send a positive message to the state, and their rivals may no longer be able to sharpen their attack on SP chief not contesting general elections.

At the same time, political losses due to a negative message of not contesting elections can be avoided, experts stated.

Akhilesh’s latest move is a big attempt by the Samajwadi Party’s first family to reclaim its strong areas from the BJP which has made strong inroads here in the last 10 years. BJP won the Firozabad, Badaun and Kannauj seats in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, while the late Mulayam Singh Yadav had won Manipuri. Dimple Yadav later won the by-poll from Mainpuri too.

Samajwadi Party had won all these four seats in 2014, despite the Narendra Modi wave. Hence, the loss here in 2019 had hurt the SP the most.

This explains why Akhilesh Yadav has now decided to contest from Kannauj though he had earlier said that he wanted to remain in the state Assembly as an MLA to take on Yogi Adityanath government ahead of the all-important state election battle in 2027.

Excitement Among SP Leaders in Kannauj

According to a report in Times of India, the district-level functionaries in Kannauj were of the view that his candidature would not only ensure an SP win in Kannauj but also consolidate the party’s position in at least four adjoining constituencies.

“More than 100 functionaries and office-bearers of SP from Chibramu, Tirwa and Kannauj assembly segments, along with those from Bidhuna and Rasoolabad assembly segments of Kannauj had called on Akhilesh in the past 48 hours insisting that he must contest from the seat,” a senior politician was quoted as saying.

“Akhilesh Bhaiya would win with a historic margin in Kannauj,” some party workers told News18, while a few called it the beginning of the battle to oust Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) from UP.

Akhilesh Yadav Replaces His Cousin from Kannauj Seat

After filing nominations, Akhilesh will officially replace his nephew, Tej Pratap Singh Yadav, whose candidature was announced on April 22.

Tej Pratap was the SP MP from Mainpuri between 2014-2019. He is also the son-in-law of RJD president Lalu Prasad Yadav.

Akhilesh had won the Kannauj parliamentary seat first in 2000 and later represented it in 2004 and 2009. He vacated the seat after he became the Uttar Pradesh chief minister in 2012, and his wife Dimple Yadav won the by-election unopposed.

Akhilesh, an MLA from the Karhal assembly seat in Mainpuri, is the Leader of Opposition in the UP assembly.

Voting on Kannauj seat will be held on May 13 in the fourth phase of the ongoing Lok Sabha elections.

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