UP Assembly 2027: Sant Kabir Nagar's 2022 Battle Explained
Sant Kabir Nagar is one of the politically important districts of eastern Uttar Pradesh, and its three assembly constituencies, Mehdawal, Khalilabad and Dhanghata, have produced some of the region's most closely watched contests. Over the last ten years, the BJP, Samajwadi Party, Bahujan Samaj Party, Peace Party and Nishad Party have all competed hard for control of these seats. Even so, the BJP and its allies have maintained a firm presence in the district across the 2017 and 2022 elections.
Mehdawal stands out as one of the most interesting seats in the district. In 2022, Nishad Party's Anil Kumar Tripathi defeated Samajwadi Party candidate Jayram Pandey by 5,223 votes. Tripathi secured 90,193 votes, whereas Pandey obtained 84,970. BSP's Mohammad Tabish Khan finished in third place. The seat had earlier been won by BJP's Rakesh Singh Baghel in 2017 with a lead of over 42,000 votes, and the Samajwadi Party had taken it in 2012. Nishad, Brahmin, Muslim and backward class communities are considered vital in shaping results here.
In Khalilabad, BJP's Ankur Tiwari emerged as the winner in 2022 with 76,086 votes. The Samajwadi Party's Digvijay Narayan got 63,464 votes and BSP's Aftab Alam received 58,368, leaving the winning margin at 12,622 votes. The constituency had been won by Digvijay Narayan alias Jay Chaubey of the BJP in 2017. In 2012, Peace Party's Dr. Mohammad Ayub had upset the expectations of all major parties by claiming the seat. Brahmin, Muslim, trader and OBC voters determine the arithmetic of this seat, which often produces a three-cornered contest.
Dhanghata is reserved for Scheduled Caste candidates. BJP's Ganesh Chandra Chauhan won here in 2022 with 83,241 votes, while Alagu Prasad of the Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) polled 72,688 votes. BSP's Santosh came third, and the winning margin was 10,553 votes. In 2017, Alagu Prasad had lost to BJP's Shriram Chauhan. In 2012, however, Alagu Prasad Chauhan had been elected as an MLA on a Samajwadi Party ticket. Scheduled Caste, Chauhan, Nishad and OBC voters are regarded as decisive in this constituency.
A broader look at the past three assembly elections shows that the BJP and its allies have had the greatest reach in the district. The BJP performed well across all three seats in 2017, and in 2022 the BJP-led alliance won Mehdawal, Khalilabad and Dhanghata. Still, the 2012 election recorded notable performances by the Samajwadi Party and the Peace Party.
The most gripping contest in recent years came in Mehdawal in 2022, where just 5,223 votes separated the winner from the runner-up. Meanwhile, the three-way battles in Khalilabad remain a major talking point as the next assembly elections approach.