Mainpuri by-election: The Samajwadi Party on Thursday (November 10) named Dimple Yadav as its candidate for by-election on Mainpuri Parliamentary seat that went vacant after the death of party founder Mulayam Singh Yadav.
Dimple is wife of Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav.
Will BJP field Aparna Yadav?
Mainpuri is considered to Samajwadi Party's fort and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is looking to capture the seat as it believes that now is the best time to do so following the demise of SP patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav.
ALSO READ: Uttar Pradesh by-elections: Mainpuri, Rampur and Khatauli to vote on December 5
According to sources, the BJP is toying with the idea of fielding Aparna Yadav, Mulayam's younger daughter-in-law from Mainpuri seat. Aparna had joined the BJP just ahead of this year's Uttar Pradesh assembly elections, however, the party had then decided against fielding her from any seat.
By fielding Aparna, the BJP would like hit two birds with one stone. The saffron party would not only lure the Yadav votebank but also try to use the sympathy votes in the name of Mulayam Singh Yadav's family.
ALSO READ: Gujarat assembly elections: Hardik Patel, Ravindra Jadeja's wife among top BJP candidates in fray
However, names of former Etawah MP Raghuraj Singh Shakya, MLA Mamtesh Shakya, Prem Singh Shakya, Rahul Rathore, Pradeep Chauhan are also being discussed as BJP candidate for Mainpuri by-election.
Nominations for the Mainpuri by-election will be held from November 10 to 17. Scrutiny of nomination papers will be held on November 18. Names can be withdrawn till November 21. Voting is scheduled to be held on December 5. Counting of votes will take place on December 8.
