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Akhilesh Yadav to contest from Karhal? 5 things to know about this SP stronghold
Karhal assembly constituency is a stronghold of the Samajwadi Party. It falls under Mainpuri Lok Sabha Constituency which is Mulayam Singh Yadav's turf.
As Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav is not anymore averse to the idea of contesting in the state assembly election, speculations are rife about the constituency that Akhilesh would be choosing to debut in the assembly election. According to some reports, Akhilesh may contest from Karhal seat in Mainpuri district. There is no confirmation yet, either from the party or from Akhilesh. The other option is Gunnaur.
Here are 5 things to know about Karhal:
1. Karhal is a stronghold of the Samajwadi Party since 1993, with only one exception. In the 2002 election, the seat went to the BJP.
2. The sitting MLA of Karhal is Sobaran Singh Yadav, who was with the BJP when he won the seat in 2002. Since 2007, he has been contesting from the seat on the SP ticket.
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3. Before Sobaran Singh Yadav, Karhal was represented by Babu Ram Yadav from 1985, who later joined the Samajwadi Party.
4. The constituency comes under Mainpuri Lok Sabha, which is Mulayam Singh Yadav's turf.
5. As Akhilesh is likely to make his debut in the state election from this seat, Karhal appears to be a safe bet.
Akhilesh at present is the MP of Azamgarh Lok Sabha constituency. In November 2021, he said he was not keen to contest the election. The change of mind is believed to have been triggered by the dramatic developments in UP politics in the run-up to the election -- the exit of two Yadav family members and also Yogi Adityanath contesting from Gorakhpur.
On Wednesday, Akhilesh did not dismiss the speculation of his contest in the election and said he will contest from whichever seat the party will give him, after taking permission from the people of Azamgarh. “My election should be before Yogi Adityanath. I want to contest before him,” Akhilesh said.
