Lucknow, March 24: Samajwadi Party (SP) president and former chief minister of Uttar Pradesh Akhilesh Yadav will contest from Azamgah in the Lok Sabha elections 2019. The party has also fielded Azam Khan from Rampur. Currently, Khan is a Member of Legislative Assembly from Rampur. In the 2014 elections, SP patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav had won the Mainpuri and Azamgarh parliamentary constituencies. Till now the party has announced 19 candidates for the general elections. Lok Sabha Elections 2019: Samajwadi Party Issues 2nd List of 3 Candidates, Names Dimple Yadav From Kannauj.

The SP is contesting the Lok Sabha elections in alliance with the Mayawati led Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) on 78 seats. As per the seat-sharing pact, Mayawati-led BSP will contest 38 seats, whereas Akhilesh Yadav-led SP will fight on 37. The remaining three seats are left for the third alliance partner RLD. Lok Sabha Elections 2019: RLD Issues List of Three Candidates For Parliamentary Polls in Uttar Pradesh, Ajit Singh to Contest From Muzaffarnagar.

The SP and BSP have decided not to field candidates in Amethi and Rae Bareli, represented by Congress president Rahul Gandhi and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi. Two seats were initially allocated to the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) but now SP has given one more seat from its quota to Ajit Singh's party. The three seats left for the RLD are Muzaffarnagar, Mathura and Baghpat.

UP is going for polls in seven phases. The voting will take place from April 11 to May 19, and the result will be declared on May 23. There are a total of 80 Lok Sabha constituencies in the state. In 2014, the BJP won 71 seats. The SP bagged only five seats, while the Congress managed to win two seats.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 24, 2019 11:15 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).