Akhilesh Yadav's wife Dimple Yadav to contest Mainpuri Lok Sabha bypolls

Uttar Pradesh's Mainpuri parliamentary seat was left vacant after Mulayam Singh Yadav's death

Apparently banking on the "sympathy factor", the Samajwadi Party (SP) on Thursday declared party president Akhilesh Yadav's wife Dimple Yadav as its candidate from Mainpuri Lok Sabha seat where a bypoll would be held following death of party patron Mulayam Singh Yadav, who was an MP from there.

According to the SP sources here, Dimple's name was finalised after receiving feedback from the party workers and leaders from Mainpuri. "Local SP workers and leaders overwhelmingly recommended the name of Dimple Yadav," said a senior SP leader while speaking to DH.

The leader said that Dimple was the "right choice" for the seat, which had been a bastion of the SP. "We are certain that the electorate, cutting across caste and communal lines, will choose Dimple as the heir of Netaji (Mulayam)," he added.

While the political analyst also opined that in fielding Dimple, the SP had tried to play the "emotional card", a section of the SP leadership appeared to be wary of the possible candidature of Aparna Yadav, the wife of Prateek Yadav, who was Mulayam's son from his second wife, as a BJP nominee from the seat.

Sources in the state BJP here said that local leadership of the saffron party had favoured the candidature of Aparna Yadav. "Aparna is also a member of Mulayam's political clan.....the electorate of Mainpuri will ultimately choose someone from Mulayam's family, whether it is Dimple or Aparna," said a senior BJP leader here.

However, the BJP leaders remained tightlipped. "We have not yet finalised the name of our candidate from Mainpuri.....there are many candidates who are in the race and all of them are capable enough to make it difficult for the SP," said a UP BJP leader when queried in this regard.

SP leaders also here admitted that the contest in Mainpuri could be 'tough' if Aparna was fielded from the seat. Of the five Assembly constituencies in the Mainpuri LS seat, SP had three and the BJP had two seats.

Mainpuri contest was a prestige battle for Akhilesh, especially after his party lost the Azamgarh LS seat vacated by himself to the BJP recently. "A defeat in Mainpuri may prove to be a huge setback for Akhilesh and his leadership may be challenged by the likes of Shivpal Singh Yadav, his estranged uncle, and others," the SP leader added. By-poll on the seat would be held on December five.