UP Elections: Congress not to field anyone against Akhilesh Yadav

Lucknow : In a courteous gesture, Congress has decided not to field any candidate against former CM Akhilesh Yadav and his uncle Shivpal Yadav in the upcoming Uttar Pradesh elections. Similarly, Samajwadi Party never fields a candidate against Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi in Amethi.

Akhilesh Yadav will be contesting the elections for the first time from Karhal, a seat under his father Mulayam Singh's stronghold Mainpuri.

Bharatiya Janata Party has placed Union Minister SP Singh Baghel against Akhilesh Yadav from the seat. He had started his political career from Samajwadi Party and once considered a close aid of Akhilesh Yadav.

"I will fight with all my might… I have seen Kannauj, Firozabad, and Etawa (Samajwadi strongholds) fall," Mr Singh had said earlier.

Shivpal Yadav, who quit the Samajwadi Party and formed his own political group after a family feud ahead of the 2017 state polls, joined hands with Akhilesh Yadav for this election as part of the rainbow coalition the Samajwadi leader stitched up to take on the BJP.

Mr Shivpal Yadav will be contesting the election from Jaswant Nagar in Etawah.

The elections in UP will take place in seven phases in February.

(Image)