Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav's wife, Dimple Yadav, on Saturday became the first woman elected unopposed in a Lok Sabha by-election from Uttar Pradesh and second candidate in the entire State after Purshottam Das Tandon's election from Allahabad West in 1952.
Ms. Yadav's election from Kannauj was announced by Returning Officer Selva Kumari J., after the deadline for withdrawal of nominations expired at 3 p.m.
The announcement was mere formality after two candidates, Dashrath Shankwar and Sanju Katiyar, withdrew from the contest on Friday. The mainstream Congress, Bahujan Samaj Party and Bharatiya Janata Party already decided to give the daughter-in-law of Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh a smooth passage into the Lok Sabha when they backed out of the by-election, citing different reasons.
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