BJP's Jaiveer Singh to challenge SP's dynasty politics in its bastion Mainpuri

Mainpuri (Uttar Pradesh) [India], May 5 : Mainpuri Lok Sabha constituency the erstwhile seat of late Mulayam Singh Yadav is going to polls in the third phase in Uttar Pradesh and has become a prestige electoral battle for the Samajwadi Party (SP) as the party has to maintain the legacy of Mulayam Singh Yadav.
Mainpuri is a parliamentary constituency that comprises five assembly segments, namely Mainpuri, Kishani (SC), Karhal, Jaswantnagar and Bhongaon. Mainpuri will go to the polls on May 7 in Phase 3 of the elections with all the results to be declared on June 4.
Considered the SP's bastion, the seat was held by party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav and it was vacated after his death on October 10. The date of voting for the Mainpuri Lok Sabha Constituency Election is May 7 (Phase 3).
BJP candidate Jaiveer Singh is challenging SP's Dimple Yadav and BSP candidate Shiv Prasad Yadav.
Thakur Jaiveer Singh is the tourism minister in the ruling Yogi Adityanath-led Uttar Pradesh BJP government. Singh, a resident of Firozabad, has climbed the BJP ranks through the years and was elected as the MLA from Barauli constituency in the 2022 Uttar pradesh Assembly polls.
The BJP candidate said, "I don't find Mainpuri changeful. Because of the efforts made by our workers, we will win in Manipuri. Lotus will bloom here."
The Samajwadi Party, confident of its stronghold, believes that its candidate, Dimple Yadav, wife of party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav, is certain to win.
It is noteworthy that Dimple Yadav of the Samajwadi Party won the Mainpuri parliamentary by-election in December 2022, defeating Raghuraj Singh Shakya of the BJP by a margin of 2,88,461 votes.
The Lok Sabha constituency is a known SP stronghold. In the year 1996, Mulayam Singh Yadav contested the Lok Sabha election from here for the first time. Despite the Modi wave in 2014 and 2019, the seat remained out of BJP's reach.
Earlier on May 4, Samajwadi Party MP and candidate from Mainpuri Lok Sabha constituency attacked the BJP-led Centre and said that there is rampant unemployment and the country is witnessing inflation due to a dearth of intention (niyat) and policy (niti) of the Modi government.
"Women are distressed. There is rampant unemployment and the country is witnessing inflation. School fees have been increased so much. The medical infrastructure is crumbling."
On BJP fielding Jaiveer Singh Thakur from Mainpuri Lok Sabha seat, Samajwadi Party leader Dimple Yadav said, "It is good that they have fielded their minister. Someone had to contest but the Samajwadi Party is ready..."
The BSP has nominated former MLA Shiv Prasad Yadav as its candidate, sidelining its previously announced candidate Gulshan Dev Shakya.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Mulayam Singh Yadav secured 9,76,518 with 58.5 per cent votes by defeating BJP's Prem Singh Shakya.
In fact, the entire Yadav clan, along with Akhilesh Yadav's daughter Aditi, is campaigning for her mother Dimple Yadav.
Notably, Lok Sabha polls will be held in seven phases beginning April 19. Uttar Pradesh, which sends the maximum number of MPs, 80, to Parliament, will vote in all seven phases. Voting for phases one and two will be held on April 19 and April 26.
Lok Sabha elections are being held in seven phases till June 1 and the counting of votes in all seats is scheduled for June 4.