Mulayam hints he won't trade Mainpuri for Azamgarh

MAINPURI: Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav on Friday hinted that he would not trade his traditional seat of Mainpuri for Azamgarh if he wins both.
Mulayam, who is contesting from both the Mainpuri and Azamgarh Lok Sabha seats, said: "I am contesting from Azamgarh because of party workers' pressure and to counter BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi. As the Gujarat CM is contesting from Varanasi, partymen wanted me to counter him by contesting from Azamgarh and weaken his influence.My decision to contest from Azamgarh has strengthened SP's position in Purvanchal (eastern Uttar Pradesh)."
Asked by reporters which seat he would quit if he wins both, Mulayam made it amply clear that he would not trade his traditional seat of Mainpuri for anything. "Mainpuri enabled me to make a debut in the Lok Sabha," Mulayam said.
Accompanied by party general secretary Ram Gopal Yadav and party leader Khuman Singh Verma and Mohd Omar, Mulayam presented three sets of nomination before district election officer Govind Raju NS. Mulayam said, "The sixteenth Lok Sabha will be led by the Third Front and the SP would play a leading role after winning the maximum number of seats in UP. Modi has certainly taken a lead but only in advertising himself on TV channels. He will fare badly in UP." Denying any BJP wave in the country, he said that the media had created a hype.
Manipuri will go for Lok Sabha polls on April 24 while Azamgarh to go for the polls on May 12.
After attending a 'havan' organized by the Yadav clan at the party office, Mulayam headed straight to the Collectorate to file his nomination papers from Mainpuri Lok Sabha seat.
Earlier, Yadav clan, including his cousin Ram Gopal Yadav, latter's son Akshay Yadav, MSY's grandson Tej Pratap Yadav and nephew and sitting MP of Badaun Dharmendra Yadav organized a 'havan'.