 "Mulayam faces acid test in pocket borough tomorrow")
Juxtaposed to rising polling percentage in Uttar Pradesh and polarisation of votes, Samajwadi Party president Mulayam Singh Yadav, who is himself nursing prime ministerial ambitions, would be facing acid test in his pocket borough.
Twelve parliamentary constituencies spread over central Uttar Pradesh and the 'Braj' region go to polls in the third phase tomorrow.
A traditional stronghold of SP, the polling would decide the fate of Yadav (Mainpuri), his daughter-in-law and chief minister Akhilesh Yadav's wife Dimple (Kannauj) and Mulayam's nephew Akshay, who is the son of party's general secretary Ram Gopal Yadav and is making his electoral debut.
The 12 constituencies are Hathras, Mathura, Agra, Fatehpur Sikri, Firozabad, Mainpuri, Etah, Hardoi, Farrukhabad, Etawah, Kannauj and Akbarpur.
Besides, 'dream girl' Hema Malini is seeking election from Mathura as Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) nominee, maverick politician and Mulayam's bete noire Amar Singh is fighting from Fatehpur Sikri as Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) candidate, Congress leader and foreign minister Salman Khurshid is contesting from Farrukhabad etc.
Hema Malini is up against RLD chief Ajit Singh's son Jayant Chaudhary in Mathura. Interestingly, a Hema Malini's namesake is also in fray as an independent candidate.
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In 2009, Lok Sabha election, SP had won the maximum 5 seats of the 12 seats going to polls. However, it had lost one of the 5 seats in the bypoll, which had brought down its tally to 4. Dimple was defeated by Congress' Raj Babbar in Firozabad, which was vacated by Akhilesh, who had retained Kannauj.
In 2012 assembly poll, Akhilesh gave up Kannauj seat to enter the state assembly, while Dimple was elected unopposed.
Congress and RLD had won 3 and 2 seats respectively, while BJP and Mayawati-led Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) had won a seat each. One seat was won by Kalyan Singh-led Rashtriya Kranti Party (RKP). RKP has already merged with BJP.
A total of 187 candidates belonging to different political parties or fighting as independents are in fray.