Lucknow, Jul 5 (PTI) Socialist leader Shivpal Yadav on Tuesday said he will back the candidate who seeks his support in the July 18 presidential elections, indicating that he is keeping his options open.

Yadav, who heads the Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party-Lohia, is currently an MLA from Jaswant Nagar, the seat he won contesting on the symbol of the Samajwadi Party. There has been speculation that he is now leaning towards ruling BJP.

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The BJP-led NDA has fielded Droupadi Murmu for the post while the opposition has picked former Union minister Yashwant Sinha as its candidate.

Shivpal Yadav said earlier too he had voted for Ram Nath Kovind as he had called him twice for support. Kovind, who is the current president, was fielded by the NDA.

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"I will vote for the candidate who seeks support from me," he told reporters in Etawah. Yadav said this time, too, the candidate supported by him will win the elections.

On the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, the leader said he has started working on strengthening his organisation.

When asked on how many seats he will field candidates, Yadav said, "Not on all (80 seats) but on those where we could won."

In the UP assembly polls, Yadav had contested on the SP ticket and did not field any candidate from his party.

In 2019 Lok Sabha polls, Yadav had fielded candidates on several seats and himself contested from Firozabad but lost.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)