LUCKNOW: Putting speculations to rest, SP on Sunday announced that its president
Akhilesh Yadav will contest from
Azamgarh — the
Lok Sabha seat currently held by his father
Mulayam Singh Yadav, who has opted for the Yadav bastion of
Mainpuri this time.
The party also announced the name of its Muslim face and nine-time MLA Azam Khan, who will make his Lok Sabha poll debut from Rampur. The party released a list of 40 star campaigners for the first two phases.
Though Mulayam tops the list, sources said he is likely to address only select rallies owing to ill health.
Earlier, the SP chief was in two minds about contesting Lok Sabha elections as he wants to focus on the party’s campaign. Party insiders said he eventually gave in to repeated requests from SP leaders from Azamgarh, where a predominant Yadav-Muslim-Dalit electorate form a winning combination. With an SP-BSP alliance in place, the seat is considered a safe bet.
The official announcement of Akhilesh’s candidature from Azamgarh came days after alliance partner and BSP supremo
Mayawati declared she would not contest elections. Azam’s candidature from Rampur fuelled speculation of cine star-turned-politician Jaya Prada being pitted against him by BJP.