Amethi (UP), Mar 21 (IANS): Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav has named another family member of former minister Gayatri Prajapati as a candidate for the upcoming Legislative Council polls.

Maharaji Prajapati, wife of Gayatri Prajapati, who is in jail after being convicted of rape charges, has already won the Amethi Assembly seat on SP ticket.

Akhilesh has now nominated Shilpa Prajapati, daughter-in-law of the jailed former minister, for the council seat form Sultanpur.

Shilpa is the wife of Anil Prajapati, elder son of Gayatri Prajapati.

Gayatri Prajapati's wife rode high on a sympathy wave during the recent Assembly elections and won the seat, defeating Dr Sanjay Singh of BJP.

She cried in almost every meeting, pleading with the people to vote for her so that she could ensure justice for her husband. She won the election with a margin of over 18,000 votes.

The family is now keen to repeat the performance in the Legislative Council polls by ensuring the victory of Shilpa Prajapati.

Shilpa had played a key role in the election campaign of her mother-in-law.

Shilpa has done her master's in sociology and is well versed with the ways of politics.