Samajwadi Party Chief and MP from Azamgarh Akhilesh Yadav will contest Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections 2022, a party source told news agency ANI on Wednesday.
Akhilesh Yadav may pick a seat either from eastern UP or a central constituency like the high-profile Lucknow. Contesting from more than one seat is also on the table, sources told NDTV.
With the BJP deciding to field UP CM Yogi Adityanath from his home turf Gorakhpur (Urban) assembly seat in the February polls, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav on Monday sought to woo the sitting BJP MLA Radha Mohan Agarwal, offering him his party ticket for the seat.
Asked about BJP's Gorakhpur (Urban) MLA Agarwal, the Samajwadi Party chief told reporters , "If you (reporters) can establish contact with him and speak to him, the ticket will be announced and he will get the ticket." Yadav was speaking to reporters at his party headquarters here on the occasion of 'Ann Sankalp Divas'.
Agarwal has been the MLA from Gorakhpur Urban seat since 2002.
"I remember the oath-taking ceremony of Chief Minister (Yogi Adityanath). I had seen Radha Mohan Agarwal on the occasion. He was not able to find a seat and had to keep standing. He has been insulted the most in the BJP government," Yadav said.
Elections for the 403 assembly constituencies in Uttar Pradesh will be held in seven phases starting February 10, the Election Commission said.
The polling in Uttar Pradesh will be held on February 10, 14, 20, 23, 27 and March 3 and 7 in seven phases. The counting of votes will take place on March 10.
In the 2017 Assembly elections, the BJP won a landslide victory winning 312 Assembly seats. The party secured a 39.67 per cent vote share in the elections for 403-member Assembly. Samajwadi Party (SP) bagged 47 seats, BSP won 19 while Congress could manage to win only seven seats.
(With inputs from ANI and PTI)
