Mulayam Singh Yadav taking no chance in Mainpuri Lok Sabha bypoll

Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav had won Mainpuri Lok Sabha seat by an impressive margin just four months ago, but this time in the by-polls he is taking no chance to ensure entry of the third generation of his family in Parliament.

SP has fielded Mulayam's grand nephew Tej Pratap, a management graduate.

Aware of the fact that the September 13 bye-election result will have a greater impact on the prestige of the ruling party in Uttar Pradesh, Yadav, his clan and a large number of cabinet ministers have spent most of their time here though there are 11 Assembly seats where bypolls will be held. Mulayam has addressed several election rallies and camped here for many days though the area is regarded as his pocketborough -- sending most of his family members to Parliament and the state Assembly from here.

Mulayam's brothers Shivpal Singh Yadav and Ram Gopal Yadav, and nephews Dharmendra Yadav and Akshay Yadav have all been actively campaigning and holding mass contact with voters.

Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav also addressed election rallies and reminded the electorate of their long association with the party as well as their contribution in backing his father and SP chief to become the Defence Minister.

State minister Shivpal Singh Yadav has been camping here since the beginning of campaign, making all out efforts to win back supporters who had shown signs of dissatisfaction.

Mulayam has been telling the voters that though he might have vacated the seat, preferring to retain Azamgarh, he will not give it up and it will remain in the family. In his rallies, he has also tried to strike an emotional chord with Mainpuri, saying it was his traditional stronghold. He has also appealed to them to help the youngest member of the family to make his electoral debut by a record margin.

Mulayam, who had won by a margin of over 3.50 lakh votes, has made the contest on this seat a matter of personal pride.

Though Bahujan Samaj Party and Congress are not contesting the bypoll, BJP, buoyed by its recent success, has fielded Prem Kumar Shakya, a backward. In the Lok Sabha polls, BJP and allies had won 73 of the 80 Lok Sabha seats in UP, SP five and Congress two.