A post from the party’s official X handle said the SP national president would “file his nomination papers for Kannauj at noon tomorrow (April 25)”.The seat is currently held by BJP. Senior SP politicians said the decision to field Akhilesh was taken following mounting pressure from district-level functionaries in Kannauj.
District-level functionaries were of the view that SP chief Akhilesh Yadav’s candidature would not only ensure an SP win in Kannauj but also consolidate the party’s position in at least four adjoining constituencies, according to senior Samajwadi politicians.
“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 parliamentary constituency, had called on Akhilesh in the past 48 hours insisting that he must contest from the seat,” said a senior politician. “Most of them felt Tej Pratap’s candidature may not be enough,” he said.
Some senior SP workers were also of the view that Tej Pratap’s candidature from Kannauj may be a repeat of what the party had strategised while fielding Dimple Yadav from the seat in 2019. “Tej Pratap Yadav was not a wrong choice, but Akhilesh’s candidature is a better option,” a senior SP politician said.
There were reports that the SP chief was inclined to contest from Kannauj from the beginning but decided to field Tej Pratap due to the latter’s work for the party in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls in Mainpuri and 2022 assembly polls in Karhal. Unconfirmed reports said Tej Pratap’s father-in-law, RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav, too, had recommended Tej Pratap’s name for Kannauj to the SP chief.
Unconfirmed reports said Tej Pratap’s father-in-law, RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav, too, had recommended Tej Pratap’s name for Kannauj to the SP chief.
Among those who were vocal about Akhilesh’s candidature from Kannauj were party district president Kalim Khan and former MLA from Chhibramau seat Arvind Pratap Singh. The two were not averse to Tej Pratap’s candidature but repeatedly voiced their preference for Akhilesh.