"The party today releases its first list of 55 candidates for the coming elections, including 18 sitting MPs and MLAs, one minister and Speaker of the state Assembly," party spokesman Ram Gopal Yadav told reporters here.
Claiming that the party was taking a lead in declaring its nominees, Yadav said that there was a possibility that there would not be any changes in the list but can be done in extreme conditions.
The SP spokesman said that with the list being released, party nominees would be better placed to start preparations for the elections.
Other prominent names in the list include chief minister Akhilesh Yadav's wife Dimple Yadav, who is the sitting MP from Kannauj and his cousin and sitting MP from Badaun Dharmendra Yadav.
Ram Gopal Yadav's son Akshay Yadav would contest from Firozabad from where Dimple Yadav had lost a by-election to Congress' Raj Babbar.
Speaker of the state Assembly Mata Prasad Yadav would be contesting from Domariyaganj and former minister Ashok Bajpai from Lucknow.
