Akhilesh resigns from Karhal assembly seat in UP after election from Kannauj in Lok Sabha polls

LUCKNOW: Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, on Wednesday, officially quit Karhal Assembly seat which he had been representing in UP Assembly since 2022 by forwarding his resignation to the assembly Speaker Satish Mahana.

The SP chief has decided retain Kannauj Lok Sabha constituency which he won in recently concluded General Election starting a fresh innings in national politics.

Meanwhile, Awadhesh Prasad, the newly-elected MP from Ayodhya, a sitting MLA from Milkipur, also tendered his resignation from his assembly segment on Wednesday.

With Akhilesh’s move to relinquish Karhal Assembly seat, now the spotlight in state politics has shifted to the next LoP in the assembly to be appointed by SP, Yadav has been playing the role of Leader of Opposition so far.

With the decision to join Parliament, Akhilesh Yadav is now expected to lead his party’s parliamentary team in Lok Sabha.

“It is obvious,” said party’s national spokesperson and secretary Rajendra Chaudhary. “Till now he had only participated in Parliament proceedings as an MP. Now he will lead his party in Parliament and actively participate in the opposition’s strategies,” added the SP spokesman.

The remaining two SP MLAs – Zia Ur Rehman from Kundarki in Moradabad parliamentary segment and Lalji Verma from Katehri assembly seat in Ambedkar Nagar – have yet to submit their resignations from Assembly. Zia-ur-Rehman has won Sambhal Lok Sabha seat while Lalji Verma from Ambedkar Nagar.

As per Akhilesh Yadav himself, at the time of filing nomination for Karhal assembly seat on 2022, voters of the constituency were taken into confidence that he would leave the seat if he won in 2024.

Within the SP the decision to retain Kannauj was seen as a clear indication of the national president’s plan to showcase the party and its policies at the national level. With 37 MPs, SP is the second largest block in the opposition after Congress. It will get sufficient time in Parliament debates.

Akhilesh’s decision to quit Karhal has triggered speculations on two fronts. One — who will be the next Leader of Opposition (LoP) and second — who will contest Karhal in the bypoll. A couple of names are doing the rounds for the post of Leader of Opposition in the UP Assembly after Akhilesh shifting to Delhi.

Shivpal Yadav, the party’s general secretary and Akhilesh Yadav’s uncle tops the list.

Six-time MLA Shivpal was the LoP since 2007 during the Mayawati regime. Other names in the list include that of Indrajeet Saroj, SP’s deputy leader in the state assembly till now.

On the other, SP is likely to field Tej Pratap Yadav, Akhilesh Yadav’s nephew, as party candidate from Karhal. A disciplined soldier of the party, Tej Pratap, who is also the son-in-law of RJD leader Lalu Yadav, has been in-charge of the Karhal constituency representing Akhilesh Yadav on the ground in the constituency’s day-to-day affairs.