SP may field Ram Gopal from Mainpuri LS seat

Senior Samajwadi leader Ram Gopal Yadav is most likely to contest the Lok Sabha byelections in Mainpuri.

The seat was vacated by Samajwadi president Mulayam Singh Yadav who chose to retain the Azamgarh seat. Mainpuri is regarded as one of the safest seats for the Samajwadi Party and is considered to be a family bastion.

According to party sources, Mr Mulayam Singh Yadav had earlier decided to field his grand- nephew Taj Pratap Yadav aka Teju from Mainpuri. Teju had even managed Mr Yadav’s campaign in the recently concluded Lok Sabha polls and the SP president had won the seat with a whopping margin of 3.6 lakh votes which proved his election management skills.

However, Mr Mulayam Singh Yadav has apparently had a change of heart and wants a senior companion in the Lok Sabha where his party, at present has only four members.

At a recent party meeting, the senior Yadav said that because of the poor showing of the party in the elections he was left to fend for himself in the Lok Sabha.

Prof. Ram Gopal Yadav is currently a Rajya Sabha member, but his term is coming to an end in November this year.

The BJP, on the other hand, is likely to field former MP Ramakant Yadav from Mainpuri. Ramakant Yadav, sources said, is already working in Mainpuri since the past two months and is trying win over Yadavs, who constitute a sizeable population in the constituency.