In a significant move, Samajwadi Party national president Akhilesh Yadav filed his papers for the Kannauj Lok Sabha seat on the last day of nomination.

Accompanied by party leaders, including Prof Ram Gopal Yadav, SP district president Kalim Khan, former MLA Kalyan Singh Dohra, and party’s state secretary Akash Shakya, Akhilesh Yadav filed his nomination papers in four sets.

The presence of Ram Gopal and senior party leaders reflects the robust support within the party for Akhilesh’s candidature from Kannauj, with party workers exhibiting tremendous enthusiasm regarding his nomination.

However, there was suspense about SP’s candidate for the Kannauj Lok Sabha election. Just two days ago, Tej Pratap Yadav was declared the SP candidate for Kannauj, triggering dissatisfaction among party workers. By Tuesday evening, it became evident that Akhilesh Yadav would be the preferred candidate and on Wednesday it was officially announced that Akhilesh Yadav would be the SP candidate for the seat.

Meanwhile, Subrata Pathak, the Bharatiya Janata Party’s MP from Kannauj, likened the electoral contest between himself and Akhilesh Yadav to an India-Pakistan cricket match.

In a statement, Pathak emphasised the importance of elections as a festival in democracy and expressed his anticipation for an engaging contest.

Pathak had earlier said that his contest with Tej Pratap Yadav was akin to an ‘India vs Japan’ cricket match. But now it will be like a match between India and Pakistan.

In the 2019 general elections, BJP’s Subrata Pathak secured victory over Akhilesh Yadav’s wife, Dimple Yadav, in the Kannauj constituency.