Union minister S.P. Singh Baghel on Monday filed his nomination papers from Mainpuri's Karhal Assembly constituency to take on Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls.
Mr. Baghel (61) is the Lok Sabha MP from Agra and the Minister of State for Law and Justice in the Union government.
Mr. Baghel filed his nomination minutes after Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav submitted his papers.
The Minister is a four-time MP and was earlier a Cabinet Minister in the U.P. government, handling Departments of Animal Husbandry, Fisheries and Minor Irrigation.
Karhal will go to the polls on February 20, the third of the seven-phase Assembly polls in the State.
