Akhilesh Yadav files nomination from family stronghold Karhal
Highlights
- This is the first time that Akhilesh Yadav is fighting Assembly polls
- He took the Vidhan Parishad route to become a member of the UP legislature when he took CM's office
- BJP has fielded leader Union Minister SP Baghel against Akhilesh Yadav
Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Monday filed his nomination papers from Karhal seat of UP's Mainpuri and said the upcoming state Assembly polls will write the country's history for next century as he appealed to people to defeat negative politics. Yadav said his "mission" is positive politics with progressive thinking.
The Samajwadi Party (SP) has declared Akhilesh Yadav as its candidate from the Karhal Assembly seat, which is part of the Mainpuri parliamentary constituency represented by party founder Mulayam Singh Yadav.
"This nomination is a mission as this UP election will write the country's history for the next century. Let's take part in this movement of positive politics with progressive thinking. Defeat negative politics, remove it. Jai Hind!," Yadav said in a Hindi tweet.
He also shared a picture of his leaving on the Samajwadi Vijay Rath bus for Mainpuri from his native place Saifai in Etawah. Karhal will go to polls on February 20 in the third of the seven-phase elections in the state.
Later Yadav told reporters, "First of all, I want to thank the people of Mainpuri and people of the organisation, who have given me a chance that today I am nominated from Karhal for contesting the elections."
"Positive politics has been carried forward and I hope people of Uttar Pradesh will remove those who do negative politics in this election. Therefore, I appeal to people to give opportunity to the SP not only in Karhal but in every area. The party will take the state on the path of development, prosperity and progress," he said.
On being asked whether he will come to the constituency for campaigning, Akhilesh said, "I have left my election to party leaders and people here. I will certainly come, if I get a chance. But people here have assured me that there is no need for me to come here. Yes, I will certainly come after winning."
"The result here will be historic and it will be a message for those practicising negative politics," he said.
The Karhal constituency is just four kilometres from Saifai, the native village of SP patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav. Except for 2002, the constituency is with the SP since 1993. In the 2002 Assembly polls, sitting MLA Sobaran Singh had contested on the BJP ticket. Thereafter, he joined the SP and won three times consecutively.
Karhal has about 3.7 lakh electorate, including 1.4 lakh (37 per cent) Yadavs, 34,000 Shakhyas (OBCs) and around 14,000 Muslims.
READ MORE: Union Minister SP Baghel to take on Akhilesh in Karhal, was once Mulayam's security officer
