Akhilesh Yadav resigns as MLA from U.P. Assembly, will represent Kannauj in Lok Sabha

Samajwadi Party president and Leader of Opposition in Uttar Pradesh Assembly Akhilesh Yadav resigned as a MLA from Karhal seat after deciding to continue as the Lok Sabha member from Kannauj constituency.

Samajwadi Party (SP) president and Leader of Opposition in Uttar Pradesh Assembly Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday resigned as a Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) from Karhal seat after deciding to continue as the Lok Sabha member from Kannauj constituency, which he won in the 2024 parliamentary polls.

A letter regarding his resignation was received by the office of Principal Secretary of the Legislative Assembly, Pradeep Dubey. Mr. Yadav won from Kannauj Lok Sabha seat by roughly 1.71 lakh votes.

Earlier on June 11, Mr. Yadav declared his decision of resigning from the Karhal Assembly seat. “I met the workers of Karhal and Kannauj and informed them that since I have won elections from two seats, I have to leave one. So, I will inform you about leaving the Vidhan Sabha seat soon,” he told reporters.

Similarly, Awadhesh Prasad, who won from Fiazabad Lok Sabha seat (under which falls Ayodhya) also resigned from the membership of the Assembly. Mr. Prasad was elected from Milkipur Assembly seat in the 2022 U.P. election.

The SP will be nominating a new Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly with party leaders hinting that the PDA (Pichda, Dalit, and Alpsankhyak), OBC or Dalit factor will play a key role in choosing the next LoP. “It is certain that the new Leader of Opposition will be from the PDA. Our PDA signifies backwards, Dalits and minorities. The decision will be taken by our national president,” said Sunil Singh Yadav ‘Sajan’, the SP’s national spokesperson.

The names doing the rounds in the political corridors for the post of LoP include senior leader Shivpal Singh Yadav, five-time MLA Ram Achal Rajbhar and leading Dalit face and deputy leader in the Assembly Inderjit Saroj.