This "VIP constituency" is not just threatening to expose a real fault line in the SP-Congress alliance , but also eating into Akhilesh Yadav 's clean-leader image. Despite the presence of a Congress candidate here, SP has fielded Gayatri Prajapati , a rape accused, also embroiled in corruption cases.Congress's Ameeta Sinh, wife of party Rajya Sabha MP and local 'raja' Sanjay Sinh, is in the fray. So is Sinh's ex-wife Garima for the BJP. They have turned the fight into what locals call battle of the ranis (queens).But, what has left many confounded here is the presence of Parajapati as nominee of the SP, which is fighting across the state in alliance with Congress. In 2012, Prajapati wrested the seat from Ameeta in a surprise victory.Prajapati's candidature threatens to undo the 'purge' Akhilesh recently conducted sidelining his uncle Shivpal and other roughnecks considered detrimental to the SP's reputation. Prajapati, accused of raping a woman and her minor daughter, became a minister in Akhilesh's government. Last year the CM sacked him because of corruption charges. But he was forced to reinstate the tainted politician under pressure from Mulayam Singh Yadav and Shivpal.Several Congress workers at the party office said Garima might benefit from the SP-Congress "friendly fight". Subhash Chandra Yadav, senior Congress worker who handles the media, quickly dismissed this as canard spread by the BJP."The SP might have had some compulsion for giving him the ticket. But when Akhilesh was here to campaign, he ensured that Prajapati didn't get anywhere near the stage," said Subhash, claiming that traditional party supporters would vote Congress.While campaigning in the constituency, a seemingly embarrassed Akhilesh didn't name Prajapati even once but sought support for his party. According to Subhash, Congress had received information that Mulayam too has abandoned plans to campaign for Prajapati.Akhilesh's big strength this election is the perception, shared by people across party lines, that his reputation is untarnished. Until recently, the major factor going against him was his failure to ensure law and order.Conscious of this, Akhilesh has worked hard to dispel that impression by keeping at a distance those with any sort of taint. Despite the need for him to keep the SP-Muslim vote intact, Akhilesh ignored jailed criminal Mukhtar Ansari, who has influence in some east UP districts, for the same reason.

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