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Dimple Yadav, Akhilesh Yadav's wife, files nomination for Mainpuri bypoll
The seat fell vacant after the death of party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav on October 10.
Samajwadi Party leader Dimple Yadav, wife of party chief Akhilesh Yadav, on Monday filed her nomination for the Mainpuri Lok Sabha bypoll to be held on December 5. Akhilesh Yadav was also with her.
The seat fell vacant after the death of party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav on October 10.
Akhilesh said Dimple filed the nomination in a simple way without any fanfare as it follows the death of Netaji (Mulayam Singh). “The family is united, all are being consulted in the party. Tribute to Netaji would historic win for the SP candidate. Voters knew Netaji who developed Mainpuri,” Akhilesh told reporters.
Neither Shivpal Yadav nor his son Aditya Yadav was present during the nomination. “We all will campaign,” said Akhilesh.
“The party declares Dimple Yadav as candidate for Mainpuri bypoll,” the party announced on Twitter. The bypoll result will be declared on December 8.
Dimple was elected unopposed to the Lok Sabha from the Kannauj constituency in 2012 after Akhilesh became the chief minister and resigned from the seat to enter the Uttar Pradesh legislative council.
She again won the seat in the 2014 Lok Sabha election but lost it to BJP candidate Subrat Pathak in 2019. The SP has won the Mainpuri Lok Sabha seat nine times, including twice in bypolls.
Since 2004, the seat has been with the Yadav family. Mulayam alone won the seat five times, including in 2019, when he defeated his nearest rival, BJP’s Prem Singh Shakya. While Mulayam secured 524,926 votes, Prem Singh got only 30,0537 votes.
After Mulayam’s demise last month, the names of Mainpuri MP Tej Pratap Singh Yadav, Akhilesh’s cousin Dharmendra Yadav and Dimple were doing the rounds as SP’s probable candidate from the seat.
It is for the first time Dimple is contesting from the seat. If she wins, she will be the first woman MP of Mainpuri.
