To boost Samajwadi Partys (SP) prospects in Manth bypoll,Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav will address a rally in the area on Sunday. The constituency,which is witnessing bypoll due to the resignation of RLD scion Jayant Chowdhary,goes to polls on Tuesday. Manth in Mathura district has always remained aloof to the SP in the past. During the 2012 Assembly elections,SP candidate Sanjay Sharma polled only 1,058 votes finishing eighth. The area with a sizeable population of Jats has witnessed Brahmin-Jat contest in the past with Shyam Sunder Sharma emerging victorious six times. He was runner-up to Jayant in 2012 elections. As the stakes are high this time,Akhilesh has decided to step in. In keeping with the tradition,SP supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav avoided campaigning in bypolls. There are many reasons for the Chief Minister to intervene. Firstly,the candidate Sanjay Lathar has been handpicked by him. Lathar is presently national president of Yuvjan Sabha,a frontal organisation of SP,of which Akhilesh is in-charge. Enough campaigning has already been done in the area that Lathar is close to Akhilesh and the area will not lag in development once the SP wins. The area,hardly an hours drive from Noida,still lags in all aspects. At present,Lathar is locked in a fierce triangular contest with Trinamool Congresss Shyam Sunder Sharma and RLDs Yogesh Nahawar. Secondly,the SP being weak in western region,particularly in Mathura,the victory will provide a foothold to the party. Lathars victory will also open the door for the Jat community,which still prefers RLD due to Choudhary Charan Singhs legacy. RLD supremo Ajit Singh may not share easy relationship with Mulayam,but Akhilesh has good rapport with Jayant Choudhary. During Ferozabad Lok Sabha elections in 2009,Jayant had particularly campaigned for Akhileshs wife Dimple Yadav in Tundla constituency,which has a good number of Jat voters and even shared stage with Akhilesh while addressing a rally. Thirdly,the elections may regarded as a test for Akhileshs youth and development plank in an adverse political turf. All the contesting parties are leaving no stone unturned to ensure victory. Trinmools candidate Shyam Sunder Sharma is campaigning aggressively and West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee is expected to address a meeting on Sunday. Bollywood actress Preity Zinta will also campaign for Sharma on Sunday. Ajit Singh has addressed a series of rallies in Manth. His son Jayant and daughter-in-law Charu are accompanying him in every rally,recalling the legacy of Choudhary Charan Singh. Today,he addressed a well-attended rally at Banchna Inter College,near Manth. Akhilesh will be addressing his maiden rally on the same ground giving rise to speculation about the crowd size. He has dispatched his trusted aides three days before his programme to oversee the preparations in the Jat belt. Actor Mahima Choudhary has also campaigned for the SP,though in 2012 elections she had campaigned for Shyam Sunder Sharma. Nearly one dozen ministers and important leaders have campaigned in Manth for the SP candidate,including Arvind Singh Gope,Raghuraj Pratap Singh alias Raja Bhaiyya,Shahid Manzoor and MLC Ram Sakal Gurjar.
