Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday circulated a list of more than 200 candidates preferred by him, a day after his father and SP chief Mulayam Singh formally released a list of 325 candidates that omitted many Akhilesh loyalists and included choices of his bête noire, uncle Shivpal Yadav.
Mr. Akhilesh’s list included the names of those considered his loyalists, such as Arvind Kumar Singh ‘Gope’ and Tez Narayan Pandey. The list submitted by Mr. Mulayam had omitted 107 names that his son had recommended.
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That Mr. Akhilesh was chalking out an alternative strategy was clear on Thursday evening when legislators belonging to his camp trickled out of his official residence here with a message that the he had instructed them to carry on with poll campaign despite their names not featuring in the official list of candidates.
Many Samajwadi MLAs who have been denied ticket said that the Chief Minister was preparing his own list and had asked them to continue work in their constituencies.
“He told us that all will be well and to continue work in the constituency. The people want Akhilesh Yadav to be Chief Minister,” said MLA Indal Rawat, who has been denied ticket.
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