Mainpuri bypoll: Samajwadi Party fields Dimple Yadav in bid to fend off BJP challenge
The Samajwadi Party has fielded Dimple Yadav, wife of party chief Akhilesh Yadav, for Uttar Pradesh’s Mainpuri Lok Sabha seat left vacant after party founder and her father-in-law Mulayam Singh Yadav’s death.
With family bastion on the line, the SP is hoping to fend off a challenge by the BJP. India Today reached Mainpuri and spoke to SP leaders and voters ahead of the bypoll slated to be held on December 5.
There are five assembly constituencies under the Mainpuri parliamentary constituency and two of the five seats are currently held by Akhilesh Yadav and Shivpal Yadav as MLAs.
Speaking to India Today, former MLC Subhash Chandra Yadav, son of Mulayam Singh Yadav’s political guru, Nathu Singh, pointed out that following the legacy of Netaji and the values of the Samajwadi Party, Dimple Yadav will win a big victory in the region.
“The youth and the people of Mainpuri have always been with Netaji, so Dimple Yadav will win not only as a daughter-in-law but also as a candidate. The BJP is in the challenge this time”, he said.
On the other hand, Tej Pratap Yadav, a former MP from Mainpuri, said that the people here have always supported Netaji and this time Dimple Yadav will get their full support.
“The BJP misuses the administration machinery in every election and in Mainpuri, SP workers and representatives are being threatened. But none of these gimmicks will be successful in shaking this traditional seat of SP,” he said.
The people of Mainpuri parliamentary constituency have also termed this election as Netaji’s election. The people of Saifai [Mulayam Singh Yadav’s ancestral village] say that any member of the Yadav family can contest from the seat. The victory will be Mulayam Singh Yadav’s as they believe he brought development to the area.
Meanwhile, the BJP is gearing up to challenge the SP in its own bastion. Minister and Mainpuri Sadar MLA Jaiveer Singh said Netaji’s era is over and people of Mainpuri are eager for a BJP win.
“People will vote on BJP’s development and good governance even in Mainpuri, rejecting family politics,” he said.
BJP district president Pradeep Chauhan said that once upon a time, booth capturing by SP, rigging of votes, and threatening people were common in Mainpuri, but now elections are transparent, and the BJP will also contest this election with a strong candidate.
The names of Prem Singh Shakya, Pradeep Chauhan, Prempal, Satish Pal and Raghuraj Shakya are included in the list of potential BJP candidates sent to the state organisation ahead of the Mainpuri elections.