Election Commission once again extended the ban on public rallies due to Covid. SP's Akhilesh Yadav will face BJP's SP Singh Baghel in his bastion Karhal in UP and BJP MLA in Manipur joined Congress on Monday. This and more in this election wrap up.

Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav will face Union Minister SP Singh Baghel on Karhal seat of Mainpuri where both of them filed nominations on Monday.

Karhal, SP's traditional stronghold, will go to the polls on February 20 in the third of the seven-phase elections in the state.

The Karhal assembly constituency has been with the SP since 1993, except for 2002. In the 2002 Assembly polls, sitting MLA Sobaran Singh had contested on the BJP ticket. Thereafter, he joined the SP and won three times consecutively.