UP Assembly Election 2022: Congress has withdrawn its candidates against Akhilesh Yadav and his uncle Shivpal Singh Yadav.The Congress candidates in Karhal in Mainpuri and Jaswantnagar in Etawah have bowed out of the contest.
UP Assembly Election 2022: Days after announcing its candidate in Karhal, from where Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav is fighting his first assembly elections, the Congress has decided to withdraw from the contest. The Congress also said it will not put up a candidate against Akhilesh’s uncle and senior party leader Shivpal Yadav in Jaswantnagar (Etawah district). Both seats are scheduled to vote in the third phase of polling in the state on February 20.
It is noteworthy that the SP had not fielded any candidates against Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi in Amethi and Rae Bareli in the last Lok Sabha elections. This is seen as a reciprocal gesture. Uttar Pradesh Congress General Secretary Prakash Pradhan confirmed that, “Since they had not fielded anyone against Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, we have reciprocated.”
Congress’ Etawah district unit president Malkhan Singh said the local unit had sent a list of six names for the Jaswant Nagar seat but the party high command did not approve of any name for the constituency.
The Congress party had earlier declared Gyanwati Yadav as its candidate for the Karhal assembly seat. Yadav is the former state vice-president of party’s Mahila Morcha and was fighting assembly elections for the first time. Though her name had been announced its nominee in the party’s first list of candidates, the Congress high command on Tuesday issued directions to the district president not to field Gyanwati.
Asked about the development, BJP candidate and union minister S.P. Singh Baghel said, “This decision is not surprising. Both the SP and Congress are hand-in-glove and we will win the seat.”
Meanwhile, according to reports, if Priyanka Gandhi decides to contest the assembly elections from Rae Bareli which goes to polls on February 27 in the fourth phase, SP may not pitch its candidate against her.
Rebel Congress leader and former MLA, Aditi Singh, has already challenged Priyanka to contest the elections against her.
