February 8, 2022: UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath will contest against former BJP VP Upendra Dutt Shukla’s wife, Sabhavati Shukla, in the upcoming UP Polls.

Upendra Dutt Shukla, who died in 2020, was one of the prominent BJP leaders of Uttar Pradesh. He commenced his political journey with Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and served for more than 40 years in BJP.

His wife, Sabhavathi, a homemaker, is making a political debut joining SP and contesting against UP CM Yogi Adityanath in the upcoming UP state election.

Yogi to contest against former BJP VP's wife
Representative Image (Source: Jansatta)

Sabhavati’s son, Amit Shukla, said, “BJP insulted my father and failed to recognize his contribution to the party after his death. The chief minister, Yogi Adityanath, visited Gorakhpur a hundred times in the last two years but did not turn up at our place to express condolence. Even our request to name a road in the city after my father was ignored. BJP state president Swatantra Dev Singh visited our place only six months after my father’s death.”

He also said he sought BJP’s ticket to contest in Sahajanwa, Gorakhpur district, which BJP denied.

SP president Akhilesh Yadav visited them and offered Sabhavati a ticket to the Gorakhpur Urban seat.

As per the sources, SP also approached Gorakhpur Urban MLA (BJP), Radha Mohan Das Agrawal, to join their party as he didn’t gain a ticket.

Form Gorakhpur, a Samajwadi party leader said, Sabhavati has the benefit of being brahmin in addition to the sympathy factor, as “Brahmin versus Thakur” sentiment has been growing against BJP. On the other hand, BSP fielded a Muslim candidate, Khwaja Shamsuddin, in Gorakhpur against Yogi.

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