Akhilesh Yadav's bhabhi jabs him: 'Kannauj no longer a cakewalk for Samajwadi'

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav's sister-in-law, Aparna Yadav, took a swipe at him, stating that the Kannauj seat is no longer a cakewalk for the Samajwadi Party.

Aparna Yadav, who joined the BJP a few years ago, made the remarks while talking about Akhilesh Yadav's candidacy from Kannauj, replacing his nephew Tej Pratap Yadav.

The Samajwadi Party had declared Tej Pratap as its candidate from Kannauj on Monday, but changed its decision on Wednesday.

Aparna Yadav said, "Akhilesh Yadav is following in his father's footsteps. Whenever Mulayam Singh believed the party needed him, he would enter the electoral fray himself."

She, however, warned her brother-in-law not to take things for granted. "It won't be a cakewalk for the Samajwadi Party in Kannauj."

She claimed that Subrat Pathak, the sitting MP from Kannauj and a BJP leader, has done a lot of work in the constituency, making it a challenging battleground for the SP.

"A lot of seats in UP were considered safe due to Mulayam Singh, who is my father-in-law,” said Yadav. “He made those the SP's strongholds through his efforts and people's connect. But the BJP has emerged victorious on those seats too."

Talking about SP's decision to field Akhilesh Yadav from Kannauj, she claimed that the party was compelled to adopt a defensive strategy against the BJP. "These INDI alliance leaders are afraid now. So now they have no choice but to field senior leaders to take on the BJP, this is their strategy to try to defeat PM Modi," she stated.

Aparna Yadav also stated that the BJP holds sway in Kannauj, and the voter is smart enough to know that PM Modi has done a lot of work. "PM Modi will be elected as the Prime Minister for the third time, no matter whoever is in the fray," she added.

The controversy surrounding Akhilesh Yadav's candidacy in Kannauj intensified when the SP abruptly replaced his nephew Tej Pratap Yadav as the candidate for the constituency. Akhilesh Yadav filed his nomination papers on Thursday, seeking to reclaim a seat he had previously held.

When asked whether SP workers in Kannauj wanted him to contest from the seat, Akhilesh Yadav said, "The question here is of historic victory from the seat. The BJP will become history in this election as people have made up their mind for INDIA bloc. People are going to vote against the NDA. PDA will defeat the NDA this time."

Akhilesh Yadav has a history with the Kannauj Lok Sabha seat, having won it in 2000, 2004, and 2009. However, his wife, Dimple Yadav, subsequently represented the constituency, winning in 2012 and 2014 before losing to Subrat Pathak of the BJP in 2019.

Voting will be held in Kannauj on May 13 in the fourth phase of the ongoing Lok Sabha elections.