Lok Sabha polls: Dimple Yadav to contest from Kannauj

LUCKNOW: The Samajwadi Party (SP) on Friday released its first list of nine candidates for the Lok Sabha polls in Uttar Pradesh, fielding SP chief Akhilesh Yadav's wife Dimple Yadav from Kannauj, where she is the sitting MP, and party founder Mulayam Singh Yadav from its stronghold Mainpuri.
Dimple is a second-time MP from Kannauj and in the lower house since 2012 when Akhilesh vacated the seat to become chief minister.


The party has decided to field MPs Dharmendra Yadav and Akshay Yadav from the current seats of Badaun and Firozabad respectively. Incidentally, the Congress had on Thursday announced Saleem Iqbal Shervani as its candidate from Badaun.
The list was signed by SP general secretary Ram Gopal Yadav. The party left Mainpuri, described as its "safest" seat, for Mulayam Yadav, who is the MP from Azamgarh right now.
Mulayam Singh represented Mainpuri in the Lok Sabha in 1996, 2004 and 2009. In the 2014 general election, the SP patriarch had contested from Azamgarh, Mainpuri and he won from both the seats. In Mainpuri, his victory margin was a massive 3.64-lakh vote.
The other SP candidates are - Kamlesh Katheria (Etawah), Bhailal Kol (Robertsganj) and Shabbir Valmiki (Bahraich). It announced the names of Usha Verma and Pruvi Verma from Hardoi and Kheri seats respectively.

Akhilesh Yadav also posted a photo with the women candidates on Twitter on the occasion of International Women's Day.
(With inputs from PTI)