UP polls: I won't contest polls, says Akhilesh Yadav

LUCKNOW: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav has said he will not contest the upcoming assembly elections. Coming a little before his expulsion from the Samajwadi Party, the decision added a fresh twist to the family feud that’s roiling the ruling party in UP. “Is baari main chunav nahin ladoonga, chunav ladaoonga (This time I will not fight elections but will make others contest). I have to be available to campaign everywhere,” Yadav told ET on Friday.

When asked about the possibility of the party being headed for a split with rival camps warring over different candidate lists, the chief minister said: “I don’t want to split the party. We are trying to resolve dif ferences. We must work to not let the BJP come to power at any cost.” Akhilesh is currently a member of the legislative council with a term that ends in 2018 . Assembly elections in the India’s politically most crucial state are likely to be held early next year.

The chief minister conceded that his decision not to contest was prompted to some extent by the prevailing political environment caused by party infighting. At the same time, he said he didn’t want to fight the polls without his father’s backing.


“I will want to fight with Netaji’s blessings. Every candidate will contest only after taking Netaji’s blessings,” he stressed. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is due to hold a rally in Lucknow on January 2.