Not a contender for PM's post, says Mulayam

Samajwadi Party (SP) founder Mulayam Singh Yadav on Monday said after filing his nomination papers for the Lok Sabha elections here that he was not a contender for the post of Prime Minister.

The former Defence Minister told the media that such issues would be best discussed after the Lok Sabha election results are known on May 23.

The Yadav family patriarch drove in a specially designed 'Rath' along with his son and party chief Akhilesh Yadav, party General Secretary Ram Gopal Yadav, nephew Dharmendra Yadav and other party leaders to the Collectorate in Mainpuri town.

His name was proposed among others by Mainpuri district Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Shubham Singh.

The veteran leader, however, disappointed his supporters as he did not address a rally after his nomination.

Akhilesh Yadav said that Mulayam Singh Yadav had left for Etawah.

Mulayam Singh Yadav has won the Mainpuri seat four times in the past: 1996, 2004, 2009 and 2014.

He won from both Mainpuri and Azamgarh in 2014 but gave up the former and retained the Azamgarh seat.

His grand nephew Tej Pratap Singh later contested from Mainpuri and won by a handsome margin.

--IANS

md/mr