Mulayam will retain Azamgarh seat, not Mainpuri: Ram Gopal Yadav

AZAMGARH: Samajwadi Party national general secretary Ram Gopal Yadav today said that his brother and party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav will retain the Azamgarh seat instead of Mainpuri after winning the elections.

He also exuded confidence of Mulayam becoming the prime minister in the event of winning the Lok Sabha seat from Azamgarh.

"Mulayam Singh Yadav will leave Mainpuri seat and retain Azamgarh seat after winning elections. He can become Prime Minister after winning from this seat," Ram Gopoal told reporters here.

Ram Gopal's statement is contradictory to what his brother Mulayam had said last month after filing his nomination from Mainpuri seat, saying he would not leave it.

"I will not leave Mainpuri seat after winning polls. I am also contesting from Azamgarh due to pressure of party workers. As BJP leader Narendra Modi is contesting from Varanasi, partymen wanted me to counter him by contesting from Azamgarh," Yadav had said on April 4.

Responding to a question, Ram Gopal said he was confident that a Third Front government would be formed at the Centre after polls.

Condemning BJP leader Amit Shah's remark terming Azamgarh as "base of terrorists", Ram Gopal said that he had not only insulted people of this city but also of entire state.

"The people of Azamgarh will give reply to BJP on May 12. As per a newspaper, 111 cases were registered on youths for their involvement in terrorism but of them 97 were found fake. This shows Azamgarh's image is being maligned", he said.