Samjawadi Party candidate for the Mainpuri Lok Sabha bypoll Dimple Yadav filed her nomination papers on Monday and said her father-in-law Mulayam Singh Yadav's blessings are with her.
The December 5 bypoll was necessitated after the seat fell vacant following the demise of SP patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav on October 10.
The result of the bypoll will be declared on December 8.
SP chief Akhilesh Yadav and MP Ramgopal Yadav accompanied 44-year-old Dimple during the filing of nomination papers at the District Magistrate's office in Mainpuri.
However, no one from Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party-Lohia chief Shivpal Singh Yadav's family accompanied Dimple to the DM's office.
Before submitting the papers, Dimple, wife of Akhilesh Yadav, touched the feet of MP Ramgopal Yadav.
After filing her nomination papers, Dimple said, "Mainpuri gave recognition to netaji, and netaji gave recognition to Mainpuri. Netaji's blessings are with me, and in the elections, the blessings of the people of Mainpuri will be with the SP."
Former MP from Mainpuri Tej Pratap and SP district president Alok Sakya also accompanied them.
Filing of nominations has started and the last date for filing nominations is November 17.
The BJP, which is aiming to turn the apple cart of SP in its stronghold Mainpuri like it did recently in Azamgarh and Rampur, is yet to announce its nominee to take on Dimple.
Speaking to reporters, Akhilesh said, "This election is taking place at a time when netaji (Mulayam) is not among us. Netaji had moved ahead with the blessings of the people of Mainpuri.
"Today, I would appeal to the people of Mainpuri to move on the path shown by netaji. Dimple is the candidate from here, and I am sure that the way in which people here have supported (us), in the name of netaji, they will make her victorious by a record margin."
The SP chief also said the way in which netaji took forward the development of Mainpuri, SP people will not allow (anyone) to "break this faith".
"The real tribute to Netaji will be that Dimple gets the entire votes (of the constituency)," Akhilesh said.
He said proposers of Dimple Yadav were Alok Shakya (SP's Mainpuri district president), Rajnarayan Batham, AH Hashmi and Tej Pratap Yadav.
The choice of proposers shows the SP's efforts to take along numerically strong sections of the voters in the Mainpuri constituency.
Dominated by Yadavs, Mainpuri constituency has significant presence of OBC Shakyas, Muslims and Dalits.
The SP chief also informed that the nomination process was completed in a very simple manner.
"This is because netaji is no more and we too are sad," he said.
To a question whether he will campaign for the bypoll, the SP chief said, "I will stay during campaigning. Since the day I arrived here (Mainpuri), I have been campaigning and meeting people."
The SP chief had not campaigned in June during the bypoll of Azamgarh seat which was vacated by him after being elected as an MLA.
In reply to a question about Shivpal Yadav's role, the SP president said, "The entire family is united and all of us will be campaigning during the election. The victory margin will be historic."
To a question on timing of the election, Akhilesh said, "I will not comment on it since it is the decision of the Election Commission."
Asked about events (Pasmanda Muslims meet) being held by BJP in Rampur , the SP chief said the entire country knows what the BJP is doing.
"You must have seen during the Lok Sabha bypoll in Rampur, how the voters were not allowed to cast their votes by the administration," he said.
Falling vacant due to disqualification of senior SP legislator Azam Khan, Rampur Sadar assembly seat will also see voting on December 5.
Before filing nomination, Dimple in a tweet in Hindi said, "With salutation (naman) to netaji (Mulayam Singh Yadav), we dedicate today's nomination to his principles and values. Netaji's blessings have always been with us, and it will always remain."
The Mainpuri parliamentary constituency has five assembly segments of Mainpuri, Bhongaon, Kishni, Karhal and Jaswant Nagar.
In the 2022 assembly elections, the SP won the Karhal, Kishni and the Jaswant Nagar seats, while the BJP won the Mainpuri and the Bhogaon seats.
It is still not clear whether Congress, BSP and Shivpal Yadav's PSPL will contest the polls or not.
After strained relations with his nephew following the assembly poll results, Shivpal Yadav has been seen moving with Akhilesh during post-death rituals of the SP patriarch, triggering speculation of a patch-up once again.
Dimple Yadav had lost the Lok Sabha elections in 2019 to BJP candidate Subrat Pathak from Kannauj.
In 2019, Mulayam Singh Yadav won the seat by a margin of more than 94,000 votes over his nearest rival BJP's Prem Singh Shakya.
Akhilesh's Karhal assembly seat is part of Mainpuri Lok Sabha constituency and so is Jaswant Nagar, which is represented by Shivpal Yadav.
