Akhilesh Yadav to kick off campaign today in Pilibhit, UP

Lucknow, April 12 (IANS) Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav will start campaigning for the SP candidates from the Pilibhit Lok Sabha constituency in Uttar Pradesh on Friday. Pilibhit, going to the polls on April 19, is a seat that the SP has never won.

Akhilesh is also scheduled to address rallies in Nagina and Bijnor following his campaign in Pilibhit. The ruling BJP has denied ticket to sitting BJP MP Varun Gandhi from Pilibhit, replacing him with UP Minister Jitin Prasada.

Bhagwat Saran Gangwar is the SP candidate for the seat, and the BSP has named Anees Ahmad Phool Babu as its candidate. Under the seat-sharing pact, the SP is contesting 62 seats in Uttar Pradesh, while the Congress is contesting 17 seats and the Trinamool Congress one seat.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently addressed a rally in Pilibhit, targeting the Samajwadi Party and the Congress. Along with Pilibhit, seven other constituencies will go to the polls on April 19, including Saharanpur, Kairana, Muzaffarnagar, Bijnor, Nagina, Moradabad, and Rampur.

The SP and the Congress are working on a detailed plan for joint rallies, where supporters and local outfits of both parties will be seen together. The coordination committee of both parties is finalizing the proposed joint campaign.

–IANS

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