Samajwadi Party (SP) Chief Akhilesh Yadav and SP Mainpuri candidate Dimple Yadav on Thursday met with Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party (Lohia) chief Shivpal Singh Yadav ahead of the Mainpuri by-poll elections.

The couple met Shivpal Yadav, who is the younger brother of Samajwadi Party founder late Mulayam Singh Yadav and uncle of Akhilesh Yadav to discuss about the elections.

Advertisement

The Mainpuri seat fell vacant on October 10 after the demise of Mulayam Singh Yadav and Dimple Yadav, is expected to carry the legacy of her father-in-law in the constituency.

Mainpuri seat is considered to be a stronghold of the Samajwadi Party.

Taking to Twitter handle, Akhilesh tweeted, “Along with the leader and the elders of the house, the blessings of the people of Mainpuri are also with you!.”

Earlier on November 16, Samajwadi Party included Shivpal Singh Yadav’s name in the list of star campaigners for the bypoll to the Mainpuri Lok Sabha seat where Dimple Yadav, wife of former chief minister Akhilesh Yadav is the party candidate.

The meeting becomes crucial as Shivpal, who contested the UP elections earlier this year on the SP ticket, had a war of words with the party chief expressing discontent over the latter’s “political immaturity”.

This was the second time that Shivpal called his nephew Akhilesh “politically immature”.

Shivpal Singh Yadav severed ties with his nephew in 2017 and formed his party after in 2018.

But contested the 2022 Uttar Pradesh assembly elections from Jaswantnagar as SP’s candidate.

Talking about the further alliance with another party like BJP, he said, “Right now I am preparing and strengthening my party. If whenever there is talk of any alliance, it will come in front of you. There is no bar for alliance anywhere.”

The polling for the bypoll will take place on December 5 and the votes will be counted on December 8, coinciding with the result dates of the Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh Assembly elections.

The last date for filing nominations is November 17, while the date of scrutiny for nominations is November 18. The candidates will be able to withdraw their candidature till November 21.

(With inputs from ANI)