Will Dimple Yadav retain Mainpuri? BJP's Thakur Jaiveer Singh attempts to break stronghold

Samajwadi Party stronghold Mainpuri in Uttar Pradesh is set to witness a tight contest this time in the Lok Sabha elections. Sitting MP Dimple Yadav, wife of SP chief Akhilesh, is up against BJP's Thakur Jaiveer Singh and BSP's Shiv Prasad Yadav.

Samajwadi Party is confident of maintaining its dominance in Mainpuri, that began with party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav's win in 1996. SP leaders Balram Singh Yadav, Dharmendra Yadav and Tej Pratap Singh Yadav have been voted to power from the seat, in addition to Mulayam in the 28 years since.

After Mulayam Singh's death, Dimple Yadav won the by-election in 2022 against BJP's Raghuraj Singh Shakya with a margin of around three lakh votes. She looks to be re-elected from the constituency this year.

BJP has fielded UP tourism minister Thakur Jaiveer Singh from Mainpuri. Originally from Firozabad, Singh has risen through the ranks of the BJP. He is a 3-time MLA, 2-time MLC, and was elected from Barauli in the 2022 Assembly elections.

The BSP candidate is former MLA Shiv Prasad Yadav. He quit the BSP to join BJP, but later parted ways with the saffron party to form his own outfit, Sarvjan Sukhaya Party, in 2023. He's back to fighting elections on a BSP ticket.

Also watch: Who is UP minister Thakur, set to take on Dimple Yadav in Mainpuri | Lok Sabha polls 2024