Nestled along the banks of the Ganga River in Uttar Pradesh, Kannauj holds both historical eminence and political significance. Established on September 18, 1997, after separating from the Farrukhabad district, Kannauj is home to a population of 1,656,616 as per the 2011 census. The Kannauj parliamentary constituency encompasses five assembly seats spread across three districts. These include three assembly constituencies within Kannauj district - Kannauj, Tirwa, and Chhibramau. Additionally, Rasulabad of Kanpur Dehat and Bidhuna of Auraiya district also fall under the Kannauj Lok Sabha constituency.
A stronghold of the Samajwadi Party since 1998, the Kannauj Lok Sabha constituency witnessed a significant shift in 2019 when the BJP managed to secure victory. Subrat Pathak emerged as the winner by a narrow margin of about 12,000 votes, defeating Dimple Yadav, the wife of Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav.
In the 2014 elections, Dimple Yadav secured victory in the Kannauj seat with 489,164 votes. Subrat Pathak of the BJP came second with 469,257 votes, while BSP's Nirmal Tiwari secured the third position with 127,785 votes.
Also read: Shahjahanpur 2024 Lok Sabha election phase 4: Key constituencies and candidates
A decision has been made for Akhilesh Yadav to run in the constituency, replacing his previously declared nephew, Tej Pratap Yadav. This shift comes in response to dissatisfaction among Samajwadi Party workers, who advocated for Akhilesh Yadav to contest from the seat. Consequently, Kannauj has now become a battleground of prestige for the party.
Akhilesh Yadav has secured victory from the Kannauj constituency, a seat previously held by his father, Mulayam Singh Yadav, on three occasions. He held this constituency from 2000 to 2012, relinquishing it after assuming the position of chief minister. Subsequently, his wife, Dimple Yadav, won the seat unopposed in a bypoll and then triumphed again in 2014. However, she was defeated by Subrat Pathak in the 2019 elections.
With Akhilesh Yadav contesting against BJP’s Subrat Pathak, Kannauj promises to be an election to watch out for in 2024.
Candidates in the fray:
| Candidate | Party |
| Subrat Yadav | BJP |
| Akhilesh Yadav | SP |
| Imran Bin Zafar | BSP |
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