UP: Akhilesh to file nomination papers from Karhal on Monday

Vibha Sharma

New Delhi, January 30

Samajwadi Party chief will file his nomination papers from the Karhal Assembly seat in Mainpuri on Monday, according to party leaders.

This will be the first time the former chief minister will contest the Assembly elections. An MP from Azamgarh, Yadav has never fought a state election before.

Chief Minister Adityanath fighting from Gorakhpur Urban seat is being seen as one of the reasons behind Yadav’s decision. BJP leaders like Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya had been taking jibes at him saying that he was afraid to contest the assembly elections

Sources, however, say the decision is also guided by another factor.

While Yadav has patched up with his estranged uncle Shivpal Singh Yadav and his Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party (Lohia) and announced an alliance between the two parties last December, observers say he “needs to be there in Assembly to keep a control on SP MLAs either way, if things work out or don’t as per SP’s plan”.

Meanwhile, Samajwadi leaders said the people of Karhal in Mainpuri want Yadav to contest the election from there. “It will be a one-way election in Karhal and Akhilesh Yadav will win the election with a huge margin,” they claimed.

While Karhal is a traditional strong hold, the Samajwadi Party had suffered a setback in 2002 polls

The BJP is yet to announce its candidate from Karhal.