Lucknow: Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav has opted out of the Lok Sabha race and will not be contesting the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, said sources. This comes a day after Samajwadi Party's Rampur unit urged party president Akhilesh Yadav to contest the Lok Sabha elections from this constituency. 

Earlier, Akhilesh Yadav had met Azam Khan in the Sitapur Jail and reportedly discussed about the upcoming polls. Since then speculations were rife that Akhilesh Yadav will contest from Rampur.

Rampur was considered to a bastion of Samajwadi Party under Azam Khan who is currently in jail after he was convicted in a case of a forced demolition of a house in 2016 in the Dungarpur area.  BJP wrested Rampur from the Samajwadi Party in the June 2022 by-poll, and Akhilesh Yadav is eyeing gain back the bastion. 

Samajwadi Party Fields Maulana Mohibullah Nadvi From Rampur 

The Samajwadi Party, which is contesting the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in alliance with Congress, has fielded the mam of Parliament Street Mosque in Delhi Maulana Mohibullah Nadvi who filed his nomination earlier today. While the BJP has retained Ghanshyam Lodhi from the Rampur seat. 

"I have filed my nomination as a Samajwadi Party candidate. Party chief Akhilesh Yadav has sent me here with the message of humanity," said Maulana Mohibullah Nadvi after filing his nomination from Rampur seat earlier today. 

Rampur Unit Warns of Boycotting Elections 

The Rampur unit of Samajwadi Party wished Akhilesh Yadav as their candidate and inclined towards boycotting the upcoming elections. 

A statement that bears the names of district unit president Ajay Sagar and jailed leader Azam Khan asked Akhilesh Yadav to contest from Rampur because of these "special circumstances" in the constituency, the letter said indirectly indicating that he turned down the request.

"Under this atmosphere and circumstances, we are boycotting the present elections," it said in Hindi. However, it added that only the party chief can take a decision on this matter.