Akhilesh Yadav to contest from Azamgarh

Putting at rest all speculations, the Samajwadi Party (SP) on Sunday announced that its president Akhilesh Yadav would contest the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls from Azamgarh seat, which was won by his father and party patron Mulayam Singh Yadav in the previous LS elections.

SP has also decided to field its firebrand Muslim leader and former UP minister Azam Khan from Rampur LS seat. According to unconfirmed reports, Bollywood actress turned politician and former MP Jaya Prada may be fielded from Rampur by the BJP.

Earlier there were reports that Akhilesh could contest from Kannauj seat from where his wife Dimple Yadav was the sitting MP.

Sources in the SP said that Akhilesh had opted for Azamgarh as it was not only a comparatively safer seat but it would also help galvanise support for the party and the 'grand alliance' comprising SP-BSP and RLD in the entire eastern UP region.

''The eastern region has a significant number of Yadavs, dalits and Muslims, who form the core vote bank of the grand alliance...Akhilesh's presence at Azamgarh will help boost the morale of the workers and impact more than a dozen LS seats in the adjoining districts,'' said a senior SP leader while speaking to Deccan Herald here.

In 2014 LS polls Mulayam had defeated the BJP nominee by over 63 thousand votes despite the Modi wave. BJP had swept the entire eastern belt in the previous LS polls.

SP sources said that Azam Khan was made a candidate from Rampur, where Muslims formed around 52 per cent of the total electorate, after reports that Jaya Prada, who was considered to be close to former SP leader Amar Singh, could get BJP ticket from there. The party also hopes to corner a big chunk of Muslim votes in the central UP region with the help of Azam Khan.