LUCKNOW: Samajwadi Party on Monday announced Tej Pratap Yadav's candidacy for the Kannauj seat, dispelling speculation that Akhilesh Yadav, the party president, would run for the position. Initially, Akhilesh expressed interest in contesting, but that would have tied him down to campaigning solely in Kannauj, limiting his ability to support other party candidates across the state.
"The ground reports from eight west UP seats that went to polls last Friday suggest INDIA bloc is on a good footing. In such a situation, it was decided that the SP president leading the party campaign across the state would be a better option," a senior SP worker said.
Tej Pratap's nomination from Kannauj is seen as a gesture of gratitude for his unwavering support to the party during the recent upheaval in Rampur. When called upon by the Akhilesh, Tej Pratap promptly responded, forsaking his activities in Saifai to assist in Rampur. This decision followed Azam Khan's demand for Akhilesh to contest from Rampur or nominate a candidate from the Yadav family. Eventually, the party chose to field Maulana Mohibullah Nadvi from Rampur and redirected Tej Pratap.
"Tej Pratap has consistently met the party's expectations," a senior SP functionary stated. "He has always been a loyal party member, from contesting in the 2014 Mainpuri Lok Sabha bypoll at the age of 26 to leading campaigns for Mulayam Singh Yadav and Akhilesh Yadav."
Tej Pratap, grandson of Mulayam's elder brother Ratan Singh, has an MBA from Amity University and a Master's from Leeds University. Married to the daughter of RJD chief Lalu Prasad, he represents the youngest generation of the Yadav clan in politics.
Kannauj has historically favoured the SP's first family, electing them for six consecutive terms since 1999. While the 2019 election saw BJP's Subrat Pathak clinch victory, SP aims to reclaim the seat in 2024 with Tej Pratap at the helm.