Revealed: Where Akhilesh Yadav will contest UP election from

After weeks of speculation, it has finally been confirmed where Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav would be contesting the upcoming Uttar Pradesh polls from.

Akhilesh will contest his debut Assembly election from party stronghold Karhal. He chose a safe seat following serving Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's decision to contest from his bastion Gorakhpur.

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Karhal has reportedly elected an SP candidate in every election since 1993 with one exception in 2002 when BJP won. It is a part of the Mainpuri Lok Sabha constituency which is represented by Akhilesh's father Mulayam Singh Yadav. Karhal is also located close to the Yadavs' ancestral village of Saifai.

Akhilesh himself is a Lok Sabha MP from UP's Azamgarh. He had earlier said he would need permission of people of Azamgarh to contest from some other seat.

The Samajwadi Party recently received a shot in the arm after multiple OBC leaders, including state ministers, defected from the BJP. However, the ruling party was able to counter the narrative by inducting some relatives of Akhilesh, like his sister-in-law Aparna Yadav.

UP will vote in 7 phases from February 10. Results will be declared a month later on March 10.