Dimple Yadav to get elected unopposed from Kannauj

LUCKNOW: Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Mulayam Singh Yadav's 'bahu' (daughter-in-law) and Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav's wife, Dimple Yadav is all set to get elected unopposed in Kannauj bypoll with two lightweight rival candidates withdrawing their names from the election.
Independent candidate Sanju Katiyar alias Sanju and Dashrath Shankhwar of Sanyukt Samajvadi Dal withdrew their names on Friday morning, a day before the deadline.District magistrate, Kannauj Salva Kumari J, who is also the returning officer of the elections, confirmed that the two candidates had withdrawn their candidature. He added that the official announcement of Dimple's election will be made on Saturday.
The two, in any case, were no match to Dimple. But the fact that no major political party could field candidate against the 'Samajwadi Party bahu', has come as a big boost for the SP, which also swept the assembly polls held earlier this year. Dimple's historic win has also compensated for the humiliating defeat she suffered in the Ferozabad bypoll in 2009.
35-year-old Dimple is set to be the 44th candidate to be elected unopposed for the Lok Sabha after Independence. After 1989, Dimple would be the first and the youngest one to win without any competition. Earlier, in 1951, as many as 10 candidates were elected unopposed in the Lok Sabha elections, in 1957 the number was 11, in 1962 -- 3, 1967 -- 5, 1971 -- 1, 1977 -- 2, 1984 -- 1, 1989 -- 1. After 1989, none won unopposed. These victories were in general selections. If bypolls for Lok Sabha are taken into account, since 1951, as many as eight candidates have won unopposed. Maximum number of candidates getting elected since Independence are from the Congress party.
Celebrations have started in the SP camp over the way the opposition parties 'surrendered' before the SP and could not muster courage to field a strong candidate. If the Congress gave a walkover to Dimple saying that it did not field any candidate in Kannauj in 2009 Lok Sabha elections as well, the Bahunjan Samaj Party (BSP) kept out of the fray offering a bizarre excuse that Dimple will not be able to do any development in Kannauj which it would use to 'expose' the SP in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. The BJP goofed up by first refusing to contest but later declaring a candidate who, however, could not file nomination on time.
There were allegations that the party forcibly prevented rival candidates from filing nomination but the district administration of Kannauj denied them. The allegations were levelled by the BJP, the Peace Party of India and an independent candidate. The Peace Party had also raised the issue in the state assembly session on Wednesday. However, nothing worked and now the independents have also withdrawn.
Independent candidate Sanju Katiyar said, "When major national political parties could not muster courage to fight against Dimple, I stand nowhere. I have decided to support SP now," he added.
Various political parties cited different reasons for not contesting the polls but the fact is that while the Congress opted to keep out of fray because of Mulayam's reported assurance to support the UPA in Lok Sabha and the Congress' presidential candidate, the BSP was not in a position to give a fight to the SP in a direct contest. The BJP initially decided to keep out to return Mulayam's favour of not putting up a candidate against former BJP national president Rajnath Singh. But after opposition within the party, as a face-saving it named Jagdev Yadav, panchayat level leader, at the eleventh hour.
The Kannauj bypoll is being held after the seat fell vacant following the resignation of Akhilesh Yadav, who took over as the chief minister in March this year. His father Mulayam wanted to keep the constituency within the family, hence, he decided to field the daughter-in-law (Akhilesh's wife). Akhilesh, in fact, had won from Kannauj and Ferozabad in the 2009 Lok Sabha elections. He retained Kannauj and fielded Dimple in Ferozabad bypoll. But, she was defeated by Congress' Raj Babbar by a margin of over 85,000 votes.