Ahead of the second phase of the voting, to be kicked off tomorrow, Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav filed his nomination from Kannauj Lok Sabha seat. The SP chief, (who had represented the seat in 2000 and later in 2004 and 2009), filed the nomination in the presence of party leaders, including Ram Gopal Yadav. Talking to reporters Ram Gopal Yadav said that SP will win the seat with a huge margin. "The BJP candidate might lose his deposit in the seat," he said.
Significantly, the political update marks the Samajwadi Party's complete reversal of its earlier decision to file former Mainpuri MP Tej Pratap Singh Yadav as its candidate.
Earlier, speaking to reporters about the speculation of him contesting the seat, Akhilesh Yadav said, "When the nomination happens, then you will come to know. The question is about Kannauj's historic victory."
"The people have made up their minds that the India bloc is coming as the future and the BJP will be history in this election," the former Chief Minister added.
Significantly, the Kannauj seat will go on poll on May 13, adding intensity to the unfolding political drama in Uttar Pradesh. Earlier considered to be the bastion of the Samajwadi Party, the party lost its stance from the seat during the 2019 election when the BJP's Subrat Pathak won the seat with a mammoth victory.
Uttar Pradesh's 2nd phase polling
Meanwhile, the second phase of voting, which is to be held tomorrow, will decide the fate of the candidates running from these Uttar Pradesh seats: Amroha, Meerut, Mathura, Baghpat, Aligarh, Ghaziabad, Gautam Buddh Nagar, and Bulandshahar.
Significantly, during the second phase, two Bollywood stars also the BJP candidates—Hema Malini from Mathura and Arun Govil from Meerut—are vying for power. In the second phase, a total of 91 candidates from UP are in the fray.
A maximum of 15 candidates each are trying their luck in the Gautam Buddha Nagar and Mathura seats. Six candidates are trying their electoral fortunes in Bulandshahr. In Amroha, 12 candidates are in the fray, while in Meerut, eight, Baghpat, seven, and 14 each in Ghaziabad and Aligarh.
The fate of these candidates will be decided by 1,67,77,198 voters.
