Akhilesh Yadav to contest from Karhal: 5 reasons why he picked SP stronghold

• Ahead of the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections, it is likely that Samajwadi Party Chief Akhilesh Yadav will debut from the Karhal constituency. Just days after he gave rise to speculations that he may re-contest from his Azamgarh seat, now reports indicate that he might contest from Karhal - which is a SP bastion for the last 20 years. Karhal is one of the five assembly seats in Mainpuri, the constituency that Samajwadi patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav represented in parliament five times. Karhal has voted for a SP candidate in every election since 1993, except for five years between 2002 and 2007, when the BJP won. As per political analysts, Karhal is the safest bet for Akhilesh Yadav as it has a socialist background, an image that Akhilesh has been trying to project for the longest time.