Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, who will be contesting the Uttar Pradesh Assembly Election 2022, is likely to be fielded from the Karhal constituency in Mainpuri district.

Akhilesh had yesterday stated that he would contest the Assembly Elections in Uttar Pradesh after taking permission from the people of Azamgarh, the constituency he currently represents in Lok Sabha.

“I will contest elections after taking permission from the people of Azamgarh,” he had told a press conference yesterday.

Samajwadi Party sources had earlier indicated that the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister, who is currently a Member of Parliament, will contest the UP polls 2022.

News agency ANI had quoted a party source as saying, “Akhilesh Yadav will contest Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections 2022.”

Elections to the 403 Assembly constituencies in Uttar Pradesh will be held in seven phases with the first phase due to be held on February 10. The dates for the remaining six phases are February 14, 20, 23, 27 and March 3 and 7. The results will be announced on March 10.

In the last elections in 2017, the BJP had won a massive 312 Assembly seats while the party-led alliance had bagged 325 seats. Samajwadi Party had won 47 seats, BSP 19 while the Congress had to settle with just seven seats.

It may be noted here that Akhilesh will be contesting the Uttar Pradesh Assembly Election for the first time. He has so far contested only parliamentary elections.

There was pressure on the Samajwadi Party president to contest the state polls after incumbent Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath of the Bharatiya Janata Party decided to jump into the state poll fray for the first time. Adityanath will fight from Gorakhpur Sadar constituency in eastern UP. The UP CM is also the head of the influential Gorakhpur Mutt.

Last year in November, Akhilesh had said that he would not contest the Uttar Pradesh election. 

“I will not be contesting the assembly election myself,” the Samajwadi Party MP had been quoted as saying in the media.