SP dismisses reports of Abhishek contesting polls from Prayagraj

PRAYAGRAJ: Dismissing reports that actor Abhishek Bachchan could contest 2024 polls as a Samajwadi Party (SP) candidate from Prayagraj, the Prayagraj unit of the party described it as “mere rumours”. “There has been no recommendation from our end in this connection,” said a party office-bearer, adding that if it happens, the move will put the arc lights of the 2024 polls on Sangam city like it happened in 1984, when actor and Abhishek’s father Amitabh Bachchan fought the elections as a Congress candidate. The party office-bearers also added that “it is for the national president of the party, Akhilesh Yadav, to decide as to who would be fielded from the political hot-seat. “Although a section of the media has reported that Abhishek Bachchan would be fielded from Prayagraj in the next general elections, no such recommendation was made by us and the news is totally speculative,” said city president of SP, Syed Iftikhar Hussain. He added that “the party is making preparations for the next general elections and it is too early to finalise on any name”. “Whoever will be our candidate, we will win the seat.. this is for sure,” he said.Talking to TOI, former district president of SP, Yogesh Chandra Yadav, too denied that Abhishek Bachchan will be fielded by the party. “A couple of months back, someone had floated the name of Jaya Bachchan as SP candidate from Prayagraj, and now her son’s name is doing rounds. This is too immature an issue to deserve even a comment.”However, if Abhishek contests from Prayagraj in the next general elections, the fight would be immensely interesting and one of the most keenly fought battles, as was in the year 1984 when Amitabh was in the fray from Indian National Congress and facing him was former chief minister and veteran politician Hemwati Nandan Bahuguna of the Lok Dal. Bachchan won by an all-time record victory margin of 1,87,795 votes. He managed to get 68.21% votes, again a record in itself. Bahuguna got 25.15% votes. Despite denials by SP office-bearers, political observers here said that “if Abhishek is fielded in the 2024 general elections, the political contest would be interesting as it could see incumbent BJP MP and daughter of Hemwati Nandan Bahuguna, Rita Joshi facing Abhishek. In the last elections, Joshi had secured 4,94,454 or 55.58% votes.