Campaigning ends for Mainpuri LS bypoll

Campaigning ended Thursday evening for the Sep 13 bye-election for the Mainpuri Lok Sabha constituency that was vacated by Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav.

Both Mulayam Singh and his son and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav have addressed a series of rallies in the constituency.

The Samajwadi Party has fielded Tej Pratap Singh Yadav, a grandnephew of Mulayam Singh, while the BJP has fielded Prem Singh Shakya.

The Bahujan Samaj Party has this time decided not to contest.

The whole Yadav clan is now camping in Mainpuri to ensure the party's victory.

Many Bharatiya Janata Party leaders from Agra, Firozabad and neighbouring districts have reached Mainpuri to connect with the residents at a personal level.

"We are trying to persuade voters to look at the larger picture of development and be prepared for change," BJP leader Purushottam Khandelwal told IANS.

"Mainpuri is traditionally a Samajwadi Party bastion and Mulayam Singh Yadav has himself won by huge margins," another political leader said.