Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party (Lohia) chief Shivpal Yadav Tuesday announced his candidature from Firozabad Lok Sabha seat against his nephew Akshay Yadav, who is the sitting Samajwadi Party Member of Parliament or MP and party candidate this time as well.

A list of Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party candidates announced for 31 seats, included Shivpal Yadav’s name from Firozabad.

The current MP from Firozabad is Akshay Yadav, son of Shivpal’s estranged brother Ram Gopal Yadav, SP’s Principal General Secretary.

During the Yadav family feud in 2016, Ram Gopal had sided with Akhilesh Yadav.

Shivpal Yadav, who is a sitting SP MLA from Jaswant Nagar seat in Etawah, is stated to have influence in Firozabad and the adjoining districts and is seen as a strong contender against nephew Akshay.

The new party was floated by Shivpal last year after he quit the SP over not getting “due respect in the party”.

The formation of the new party just ahead of Lok Sabha elections was seen as an attempt to dent the vote share of the SP.

Get the latest election news, live updates and election schedule for Lok Sabha Elections 2019 on ndtv.com/elections. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter and Instagram for updates from each of the 543 parliamentary seats for the 2019 Indian general elections.