Lok Sabha Election 2024: The Samajwadi Party (SP) on Monday fielded Meera Deepak Yadav, its former MLA from Madhya Pradesh’s Niwari seat, from the Khajuraho Lok Sabha constituency replacing Manoj Yadav. Meera Yadav is set to challenge the incumbent MP and Madhya Pradesh Bharatiya Janata Party leader, VD Sharma, in the upcoming election.
Khajuraho is the only constituency allotted to Akhilesh Yadav-led SP, a member of the I.N.D.I.A bloc, in Madhya Pradesh as part of a seat-sharing pact with the Congress which is contesting the remaining 28 Lok Sabha seats in that state.
"The change was made to pit a powerful and local candidate against the BJP," SP national spokesperson Yash Bhartiya told PTI over the phone.
Khajuraho Lok Sabha seat
VD Sharma secured victory in the Khajuraho constituency during the 2019 elections with a significant margin of over 4.5 lakh votes.
Meera Yadav previously served as a Samajwadi Party MLA from the Niwari assembly constituency, which falls within the Khajuraho Lok Sabha constituency, in 2008. Her husband, Deep Narayan Yadav, represented the Garautha constituency in Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh, as an SP MLA in 2007 and 2012. Garautha shares a border with Niwari district in Madhya Pradesh. Deep Yadav has also held the position of MP SP chief.
Meanwhile, Manoj Yadav, originally from Shikohabad in Uttar Pradesh but now residing in Madhya Pradesh, was announced as the Samajwadi Party's candidate for Khajuraho two days ago.
Lok Sabha elections
The Lok Sabha elections in Madhya Pradesh is scheduled to be held in the first four phases of the total seven phases dated April 19, April 26, May 7, and May 13. BJP has declared its candidates for all 29 seats in the state. The BJP had won 28 seats in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
- Phase 1: Sidhi, Shahdol, Jabalpur, Mandla, Balaghat, Chhindwara
- Phase 2: Tikamgarh, Damoh, Khajuraho, Satna, Rewa, Hoshangabad, Betul
- Phase 3: Morena, Bhind, Gwalior, Guna, Sagar, Vidisha, Bhopal, Rajgarh
- Phase 4: Dewas, Ujjain, Mandsour, Ratlam, Dhar, Indore, Khargone, Khandwa
The ruling BJP in Madhya Pradesh is aiming to bag all the 29 Lok Sabha seats in the state in the ensuing polls after its stunning victory in the assembly elections four months ago. The BJP would be making all-out efforts to snatch the Chhindwara seat, the only constituency it lost in the state in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, political observers said. For the Congress, regaining its old charm will be a major task in the crucial parliamentary polls.
(With PTI inputs)
