SP announces list of 2, Tej Pratap to contest from Kannauj

Putting end to speculations, the Samajwadi Party (SP) on Monday fielded former MP from Mainpuri, Tej Pratap Singh Yadav, nephew of party chief Akhilesh Yadav, from the Kannauj parliamentary seat.

Initially it was speculated that SP chief Akhilesh Yadav will himself contest from Kannauj, which had been a stronghold of SP before it was breached by Subrat Pathak of Bharatiya Janata Party (BSP) in 2019 Lok Sabha election when he defeated Dimple Yadav, wife of Akhilesh.

The Kannauj seat was won by SP patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav in 1999. In the year 2000, when Mulayam Singh became the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, in the bye-election on this seat Akhilesh emerged victorious defeating Akbar Ahmad Dumpy of Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP).

Akhilesh won the seat for three consecutive terms till 2009. In 2012 when Akhilesh became the CM, the party fielded Dimple from this seat and she was elected unopposed. 

In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, Dimple again won the seat by defeating Subrat Pathak of BJP. In 2024 election, Dimple is contesting from Mainpuri parliamentary constituency, which is also considered as SP's bastion.

Meanwhile, the party has fielded former MLA Sanatan Pandey from Ballia parliamentary constituency. He has been pitched against BJP nominee and Rajya Sabha MP Neeraj Shekhar, who is son of former Prime Minister Chandra Shekhar. Neeraj Shekhar had represented Ballia constituency twice as SP candidate.

Sanatan Pandey contested from Ballia in 2019 Lok Sabha elections, but was defeated by Virendra Singh Mast of BJP by a margin of more than 15,000 votes.