By Saiyed Moziz Imam Zaidi

New Delhi, Nov 2 (IANS): Defending their party president Akhilesh Yadav's decision of not contesting the Assembly polls, Samajwadi Party leaders on Tuesday claimed that in the past also several leaders, including incumbent Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, did not contest the polls.

The Chief Ministers from 2007 till now have been the members of the upper house in the state, they said.

Soon after Yadav's announcement on Monday, the Opposition tore into the SP saying that the decision was taken as the party had lost all hopes of winning.

Samajwadi Party spokesperson Rajiv Rai said that the party, not the parliamentary board, will decide who will contest elections. As far as the BJP is concerned, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and both the Deputy Chief Ministers Dinesh Sharma and Keshav Lal Maurya are members of the Legislative Council.

During his last term as the Chief Minister, Akhilesh Yadav was a Legislative Council member. He had not contested the 2012 elections.

Similarly, BSP supremo Mayawati who has been Chief Minister four times was a MLC but not a MLA.

Yogi Adityanath is also a MLC. He did not contest the elections in 2017 when the BJP stormed into power but he was the MP from Gorakhpur and was later elected leader of the Legislative party.

Keshav Lal Maurya and Dinesh Sharma are both MLCs elected after being appointed as ministers.

For the Assembly polls, Akhilesh, the MP from Azamgarh, will be the face of his party's campaign, Rai said.

In 2000, Rajnath Singh was elected as a MLA from Haidergarh and was the Chief Minister, while another Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav was the last elected MLA as Chief Minister. He was elected from Gunnaur.