The city of glasses and bangles, going to polls on April 24, is witnessing a multi-cornered contest in the lok Sabha. But 25-year-old Akshay Yadav, son of Samajwadi Party general secretary, Ram Gopal Yadav, has an edge over his rival 14 candidates including three from the major political parties.
Akshay Yadav is the seventh member of SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav’s family to enter politics. A post-graduate in Management, Akshay looks after the family’s seed business. Though Akshay has been grooming Firozabad lok Sabha constituency for the last three years, he turned 25 few months back and is now legally eligible for contesting elections.
The entire Yadav family including his uncles — Mulayam Singh Yadav and Shivpal Singh Yadav, his cousin and Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav along with his father Ram Gopal Yadav — are intensely campaigning to ensure victory for the new entrant of the family in politics.
Recently, during a meeting in the constituency, Akhilesh stated that his Government will allot funds for the development of the area if Akshay wins the polls. The statement was severely criticised by the Opposition candidates and even a complaint was made to the EC. But BJP candidate SP Singh Baghel, once a SP leader, is confident of winning the seat.
In 2009 by-polls, after Akhilesh won from both Kannauj and Ferozabad seats and later vacated the Ferozabad seat for his wife Dimple. Dimple made her maiden entry in politics and contested against Congress candidate Raj Babbar.
Dimple faced a humiliating defeat, first time for the Yadav clan. But later Dimple got elected unopposed from Kannauj lok Sabha seat in 2012 by-polls after Akhilesh became the CM while this time Raj Babbar has been shifted to Ghaziabad.
In the 2009 elections, SP Singh Baghel, was a runner-up to Akhilesh while he was contesting on a BSP ticket. Congress has given candidature to one Atul Chaturvedi while BSP candidate is Vishwadeep Singh, both having no such political base in the constituency. AAP has also fielded Rakesh Yadav from the seat.
Since 1999, SP has won this seat except in the 2009 by-polls when Congress was the winner. There are over 16 lakh voters in the area with Muslim and Yadav’s domination. lodh, Brahmins and other castes too have a say in the win of any candidate.