Akhilesh Yadav to contest UP elections from family stronghold Karhal

Karhal, which favoured the SP in every election since 1993 except in 2002, forms one of the five assembly seats that make up the Mainpuri Lok Sabha seat of Mulayam Singh Yadav.

Akhilesh, who is now a Lok Sabha MP, will contest the assembly elections for the first time in his political career.

The BJP, which has been ruling the state for the last five years, has already fielded its Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath from his stronghold Gorakhpur.

The assembly elections in the state are considered as a litmus test for the BJP, Adityanath and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the backdrop of the alleged COVID-19 mismanagement by the incumbent though the ruling dispensation believes it has fared well to tackle the crisis.

The elections hold much importance too for the Opposition as a BJP win will temporarily dampen the anti-Modi rainbow coalition talks, which go on often in the national capital.

Various opinion polls conducted by different private media organisations have suggested the BJP's return to power but with a diminished tally of seats.

Though the SP appears to overshadow the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and Congress in the race to oust the BJP, opinion polls showed Akhilesh's party will be failing to form the government despite improving its tally from its last elections.

The north Indian state will go to polls in seven phases beginning next month.

The results will be declared on Mar 10.