Akhilesh Yadav relinquishes MLA post, to retain Azamgarh MP seat

Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav is likely to quit as MLA and retain his Lok Sabha membership from Azamgarh.

A senior SP leader said on Saturday that an official announcement in this regard could be made in the next few days.

Although the leader did not elaborate, sources in the SP said that Akhilesh wanted to retain Azamgarh. Despite the BJP's massive victory in the state assembly polls, the SP was able to bag all the ten assembly seats in the district.

Sources said Akhilesh's decision to retain Azamgarh would send a positive message to the electorate of his constituency for the 2024 Lok Sabha Assembly Elections.

Sources also said that Akhilesh was encouraged by his party's improved showing in the assembly polls and there was a feeling in the party that in a bipolar contest in the state in the next general elections, the party could give a tough fight to the BJP and 'restrict' the latter's seats from India's largest state. "If we are able to keep our alliances intact and continue to corner the BJP governments in the centre and in the state over people-centric issues we can give a tough fight to the saffron party in 2024," said another SP leader here.

"It is going to be very difficult for the BJP government to fulfil the promises it made to the people to win the polls," the leader added.

The SP had contested the 2019 LS polls in alliance with the BSP but could manage to win only five seats. The BSP had however emerged victorious on ten seats in the polls.

The recent assembly polls however saw a complete decimation of BSP and Congress. In over 350 seats out of the 403 seats in the state assembly, there was a direct fight between the BJP and SP.

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