Uttar Pradesh is likely to witness another epic electoral contest in the Rampur Assembly bypoll between actor & BJP leader Jaya Prada and Dimple Yadav, wife of Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav.
The Samajwadi Party may field former Kannauj MP Dimple Yadav from Rampur Assembly seat in the upcoming bypoll. The seat fell vacant after SP MLA Azam Khan was elected to Lok Sabha in May.
On the other hand, the BJP, keen on giving a tough fight to the SP, may field Jaya Prada, who lost to Azam Khan in the recently-concluded Lok Sabha polls.
“Talks are on within the SP to field Dimple from Rampur, a seat that Khan won nine times, and a decision will be announced soon,” said party sources.
“Although the SP and BSP have parted ways, we expect the BSP to not field any candidate if Dimple contests from Rampur. We also expect the same from the Congress, or else there would be a division of votes which might benefit the BJP,’’ a senior SP leader said.
He added that the decision over Dimple’s candidature would be taken soon. The bypoll is scheduled to be held in September-October.
On the other hand, the BJP has never won Rampur Assembly seat but this time, it is hopeful with Jaya Prada bieng in the contest. After being defeated in Lok Sabha elections by Azam Khan, Jaya Prada has been regularly visiting Rampur and preparing ground for her contest.
Jaya Prada had won Rampur Lok Sabha seat in 2004 and 2009 on Samajwadi Party ticket before joining the BJP.
Khan has been Rampur MLA since 1980 with the help of various political parties. After the SP was founded in 1992, Khan won the seat as a Samajwadi Party candidate. Apart from the BJP, the BSP also has failed to open its account in Khan’s bastion.
Dimple Yadav began her career with a loss in Ferozabad bypoll in 2009, but went on to win the Kannauj Lok Sabha bypoll unopposed in 2012 after the seat fell vacant as her husband Akhilesh became the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh.
Though she retained the seat in 2014 general elections, she lost to BJP’s Subrat Pathak by 12,000 votes in May earlier this year.