Lucknow: Kannauj, considered a stronghold of the Samajwadi Party, is gearing up for a fierce electoral battle between SP chief Akhilesh Yadav and the Bharatiya Janata Party's incumbent MP and perfume trader, Subrat Pathak. Since 1998, Kannauj has been a stronghold of the Samajwadi Party. However, a significant shift occurred in the 2019 Lok Sabha election when the BJP's Subrat Pathak secured victory. Known as the 'perfume capital of India', Kannauj will go to polls in the fourth phase of the Lok Sabha election on May 13, with vote counting scheduled for June 4.
In the upcoming 2024 election, BJP's Subrat Pathak is pitted against SP chief Akhilesh Yadav and BSP's Imran Bin Zafar. Subrat Pathak has been a consistent BJP contender, having contested Lok Sabha elections from Kannauj since 2009. In the 2019 elections, Subrat Pathak defeated the then-sitting MP Dimple Yadav of the Samajwadi Party by a margin of 12,353 votes, ending the SP's seven consecutive wins in the constituency. Pathak secured 49.4% of the votes, while Dimple Yadav secured 48.3%. However, ahead of the upcoming elections, BJP candidate Subrat Pathak alleged that the Samajwadi Party had brought in anti-social elements, including those from a "particular community", from outside Kannauj with the intention of disrupting the election process.
Kannauj holds special significance for Akhilesh Yadav, who made his political debut from this seat in the year 2000. He served as Lok Sabha MP from 2000-2012. After becoming the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh in 2012, Yadav resigned from the Kannauj parliamentary seat. Despite his party's inability to form a government in UP in 2017, Yadav was elected Lok Sabha MP in 2019 and later won a seat in the UP Assembly in 2022. Following the UP Assembly polls, Akhilesh Yadav resigned as Lok Sabha MP but retained his state assembly seat. He emphasized that the Samajwadi Party is directly contesting against the BJP and called upon those who follow Babasaheb Ambedkar to support the SP to protect the constitution, reservation, democracy, and education.
In the 2014 elections, Dimple Yadav secured victory in the Kannauj seat with 489,164 votes. Subrat Pathak of the BJP came second with 469,257 votes, while BSP's Nirmal Tiwari secured the third position with 127,785 votes. However, Dimple Yadav's victory streak was interrupted when she was defeated by Subrat Pathak in the 2019 elections.
The issue of paper leaks in government job recruitment examinations has cast a shadow of disappointment on students preparing for the exams in Uttar Pradesh. Political parties have included promises in their respective manifestos to address the issue. Samajwadi Party Chief Akhilesh Yadav raised serious concerns about the integrity of examinations conducted under the BJP regime in Uttar Pradesh. The election for 543 Lok Sabha seats will be held in seven phases starting April 19, with the counting of votes scheduled for June 4.
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