Cong makes it simple for Dimple

Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav’s wife Dimple Yadav filed her nomination papers for the June 24 Kannauj Lok Sabha bypoll here on Tuesday, even as the Congress said it will not put up a candidate against her this time.

Dimple was accompanied by Akhilesh and Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav’s younger brother Shivpal Singh Yadav, when she filed the papers before the returning officer.  The by-poll had been necessitated after Akhilesh, who represented the constituency, resigned after being elected to the UP Assembly.

Dimple, whose earlier attempt to enter the Lok Sabha was foiled in 2009 after she lost at Ferozabad to Congress nominee Raj Babbar, later sought the blessing of the people of the constituency. The entire campaign then was marred by acrimonious exchanges between leaders of the two parties and the contest had become a sort of prestige issue for both sides.

This time, however, the Congress seems to be going all out to woo Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh by not fielding a candidate.

Although UP state Congress leaders tried their best to term the decision as “nothing unusual”, sources in the party said that it reflected the strengthening of relations between the two parties and indicated that the Congress was prepared to walk the extra mile to keep the SP in good humour.

“Earlier, also our party did not field any one against Mulayam at Mainpuri....the SP had also not fielded any one against Rahul Gandhi at Amethi...we had not contested from Kannauj last time,” said Congress legislature party leader Pramod Tewari here on Tuesday.