The Samajwadi Party has fielded the widow of a BJP leader who had unsuccessfully contested the 2018 Lok Sabha by-poll from Gorakhpur against Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
By declaring Shubhavati Shukla as its nominee, the SP has played the Brahmin card against Mr. Adityanath, who was born into a Kshatriya background.
In 2018, Upendra Nath Shukla contested as a BJP candidate from Gorakhpur against Praveen Nishad, who fought on the SP symbol. The by-poll was necessitated after Mr. Adityanath had vacated the seat as he was nominated Chief Minister. Upendra Nath Shukla died in 2020.
