Samajwadi Party national president Akhilesh Yadav today succumbed to his uncle Shivpal Yadav’s demand of contesting the upcoming Assembly polls from his home constituency Jaswant Nagar in Etawah.
Akhilesh today released a list of 191 candidates with Shivpal’s name on it from his home constituency.
This development is significant as Akhilesh had earlier insisted on fielding Shivpal’s son and his cousin Aditya from the seat. Also, there was no mention of Shivpal’s name in the list of 38 names submitted by Mulayam Singh Yadav to his son earlier this week.
Minister Azam Khan will contest from his traditional Rampur seat. His son Abdullah Azam has also been given a ticket from Swar Tanda seat in Rampur whereas expelled Samajwadi Party leader Naresh Agrawal’s son Nitin Agarwal will enter the poll fray from Hardoi.
The ruling party's first list of candidates covers the first three phases of the seven-phase polling beginning on February 11.
Rakesh Verma, son of Rajya Sabha member Beni Prasad Verma, whose name had figured in Shivpal's list, however, has been replaced by Akhilesh loyalist Arvind Singh Gope, Minister and sitting MLA from Ramnagar seat (Barabanki).
The highlight of the list is inclusion of names of several Akhilesh loyalists who were left out in an earlier list of candidates that his father Mulayam Singh Yadav had released last month.
In the list of candidates declared today, 52 are Muslims and 18 women. Though Akhilesh has taken care not to include controversial figures, still the list carries the name of Vijay Singh, who was the main accused in the murder of BSP leader Brahmdutt Dwivedi. He has been fielded from Farrukhabad.
Atiq Ahmed, a mafia-turned-politician, who had been given ticket by Shivpal from Kanpur Cantt, has been dropped and in his place Mohd Hasan Rumi has been given party ticket. Akhilesh was upset over inclusion of Ahmed's name in the earlier list that bore the stamp of Mulayam and Shivpal. Atiq had yesterday told reporters that he would not contest the polls.
"I will not contest assembly polls. I know Akhileshji (Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav) likes me...but then you (media) will ask him why a mafia has been given ticket," the former MP had said, adding he would work to strengthen the party and refrain from doing anything that will strengthen communal forces.
SP ticket to Atiq had invited criticism from BJP and BSP leaders, who said it was unfortunate for Uttar Pradesh that such people with criminal background were being given tickets.
The list also includes the names of CM’s close aides: Atul Pradhan (Sardhana), Hassan Rumi (Kanpur Cantt) and Sunil Choudhary (Noida).
Yesterday, addressing party workers in Safai, which is the bastion of ruling Samajwadi Party, Shivpal had said that ‘he was contesting the polls (from Jaswant Nagar) because people wanted him to represent the seat in the state legislature’.
“I had opted not to contest election but people are in no mood to leave me. The love and affection they have showered on me... want to contest agains. I am sure, the Samajwadi Party will register a massive victory this time and form government again,” he said.
Shivpal had also vowed not to leave Netaji (Mulayam Singh) ‘alone at any stage of his life’.
“You may see the use of money power to defeat me, but the blessings and best wishes of Netaji are with me. Impossible to defeat me, I will surely emerge victorious,” he added.
Uttar Pradesh, the country's most populous state, will go to the polls in seven phases between February 11 and March 8. Results will be declared on March 11.
