News Analysis India

Tag: UP elections

  • BJP not against any dynasty but my family: Priyanka Gandhi

    By PTI

    KUSHINAGAR: On a day Prime Minister Narendra Modi targeted political “dynasts” during electioneering in Uttar Pradesh, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Monday said the BJP was only against her family, which has not bowed down to it.

    The Congress general secretary’s sharp rebuttal came during an election programme in the Tamkuhi Raj area of Kushinagar district where she campaigned for her party candidates ahead of the March 3 assembly polls.

    In his speech in Maharajganj, PM Modi had called out “ghor pariwarvadis” (staunch dynasts) in an attack aimed at the Samajwadi Party.

    In the same speech, Modi gave several examples to stress “how dynasts cared only for their family interests” while the BJP worked for the welfare of the poor and deprived sections of the society.

    While addressing an election rally in Kushinagar, Priyanka Gandhi said, “They talk of the dynasty when all the children of politicians have moved to their own party! Which dynasty were they against or abstaining from?” 

    “They were against only my family because my family will never bow down to them. They know this that even if they kill us, we are neither going to compromise with the BJP nor bow down to them,” she added.

    Her remark comes in the wake of several prominent second-generation politicians like Jyotiraditya Scindia, Jitin Prasada, R P N Singh switching over to the BJP from the Congress in recent times.

    During her speech, Priyanka Gandhi also said she was being targeted with allegations of being linked to terrorism despite her father Rajiv Gandhi and grandmother Indira Gandhi, both former prime ministers, sacrificing their lives for the country.

    “Identify the leaders who laid their lives for the country. The leaders whom these people call terrorists. Fingers are raised at my family, they say we are connected with terrorism,” she rued.

    And then she asserted, “I said yes, I am linked with terrorism because my father was shot dead by terrorists, my grandmother was assassinated by terrorists.”

    “My father and grandmother lost their lives for this country and they, who are selling all public properties and running a government for big industrialists, today they are pointing fingers at them,” she added.

    Priyanka Gandhi, who is leading the electoral battle in Uttar Pradesh for the Congress, which is contesting the state polls solo after three decades, said her party was concerned about the UP and the country.

    “This is why when we come to the people, we speak the truth and say it from our hearts. I say from the heart because I care about you, I am worried for this state and the country,” she said.

    “My ancestors and your ancestors, the forefathers of the people of this state got India her freedom. Was the freedom earned, development done, institutions raised so that one day these people could sell the country? So that the youth of the country would be jobless and without any support,” she said.

    Citing examples of freebies doled out by the BJP-led governments in the state and in the Centre, the Congress leader claimed it was a deliberate effort to keep the people disempowered and dependent on the government.

    She said voting is a right granted to people by the Constitution and a means to bring about a change in political discourse.

    Kushinagar goes to the polls on March 3 along with nine more districts of eastern UP.

    The election results will be declared on March 10.

  • BJP president Nadda accuses Akhilesh Yadav of giving protection to terrorists 

    By PTI

    MIRZAPUR: BJP president J P Nadda charged the Samajwadi Party (SP) on Monday with giving protection to terrorists and gangsters, and said Uttar Pradesh is witnessing the rule of law today and not of any family or individual.

    “Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav, during his tenure as the (Uttar Pradesh) chief minister, used to give protection to terrorists, withdraw cases against them and embrace them,” Nadda said while addressing an election meeting here.

    After 2017, strict action has been taken against such elements with the formation of the BJP government in the state, he said, adding, “It is the rule of law in the state now and not that of a family or an individual.

    ” Accusing Yadav of instigating people by describing the COVID-19 vaccines as “BJP vaccines”, Nadda said the SP chief, however, did not desist from taking the jab when he needed it.

    The BJP president also elaborated on the development work undertaken in the area during the BJP government in detail, while seeking support for the NDA candidates in the ongoing Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls.

  • People have made all three Congress rivals indolent in UP: Priyanka Gandhi

    By PTI

    BALRAMPUR: Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Sunday accused the people of Uttar Pradesh of making all three rivals of her party useless by their overindulgence of their whims.

    She also accused BSP chief Mayawati of never coming out of her house in the last five years, the Samajwadi Party of missing from UP as women faced atrocities there and Prime Minister Narendra Modi of being unaware of woes of UP people despite being omniscient .

    Addressing an election meeting here, Vadra also accused the three parties of only being interested in taking people’s votes on the basis of caste and religion while caring little for them and their welfare.

    Priyanka Gandhi hurled the allegation against the people of UP citing the example of children rendered indolent due to the people’s overindulgence of their whims.

    “At the time of elections, somebody will talk about bulldozers, somebody about terror, somebody about Pakistan, somebody of religion and caste. Why are they doing it? Gandhi asked.

    Holding people responsible for allegedly making political parties talk of things devoid of their interest, Priyanka Gandhi said, Sorry to say but the politics which has been going on in the state for the past 30 years, is because of your encouragement.

    Gandhi attacked the BSP chief accusing her of never coming out of her home during the last five years.

    “The BSP leader never came out of her house in the past five years. I thought she would come out during the elections but she did not do even that, she said.

    She also attacked Prime Minister Modi, accusing him of being unaware of the problem of stary cattle in Uttar Pradesh despite being antaryami and sarvgyani (omniscient) andbeo remaining aware of international situations.

    “People say the Prime Minister is ‘antaryami’ (omniscient) and ‘sarvagyani’. If you speak against him in a room, he will come to know of it. He has information about everything, she said.

    But last week, he told you that he does not know about the problem of the stray cattle and then he said as the problem has come to his notice, it will be resolved,” Priyanka Gandhi said.

    She scoffed at the PM’s alleged ignorance about the woes of people in UP despite knowing what’s happening in the United States and Russia and elsewhere in the world.

    Targeting Samajwadi Party, Priyanka Gandhi asked, Did the SP fight for the farmers who died (in Lakhimpur Kheri violence)?

    These three parties are not concerned about your problems, and they do not understand it. They are only interested in taking your vote on the basis of caste and religion. They will enter into agreement with each other whether they are in government or the opposition. Only the Congress will never do any pact with the BJP,” she asserted.

  • UP polls: Smriti Irani rakes up Sidhu’s ‘Pakistan Link’, lashes out at Congress

    By PTI

    KUSHINAGAR: Union minister Smriti Irani accused the Congress on Sunday of colluding with those who had killed innocent people.

    Addressing an election meeting in Kushinagar, Irani hit out at Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, saying she made Navjot Singh Sidhu, who had embraced Pakistan’s army chief and said Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan is his brother, the president of the Punjab Congress.

    “If the Gandhi family has the courage, it should refute my allegations,” she added.

    In an apparent reference to Maharashtra minister Nawab Malik, who has been arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with a money-laundering case, Irani alleged that the Congress is shielding a person who has links with underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, who was involved in the 1993 Mumbai bomb blasts.

    Taking a jibe at the “ladki hoon, lad sakti hoon” (I am a girl and I can fight) slogan of the Congress for the ongoing Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls, the Union minister for women and child development said the boat of the grand old party is sinking and it has handed over the charge of the sinking boat to women.

    “They emerge as chunavjeevi at the time of elections and come up with a new formula, some times in the name of caste, some times in the name of religion,” she said.

    Irani alleged that during the COVID-19 crisis, the Congress, the Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) were nowhere to be seen.

    “It was the BJP that went from house to house distributing masks and ration. Priyanka is sad over the fact that ration was distributed among poor people. Had there been an SP-BSP government, would the poor have got the ration?” she asked the gathering.

    Taking a jibe at the SP, the Union minister said, “Those who had once fired bullets on the devotees of Lord Ram are telling people that Lord Krishna comes in their dreams. I would like to tell them that in kalyug, Lord Krishna will never come to save criminals. God never sides with those who give shelter to people insulting women.”

    Referring to the Gandhis, she said a member of a family that had once said there was no Ram is moving from one temple to another wearing the sacred thread.

    Kushinagar is scheduled to go to polls in the sixth round of the seven-phase Uttar Pradesh election on March 3.

  • UP polls: BSP’s appeal resonates among loyalists; some look at alternatives

    By PTI

    HANDIA/SAIDPUR: ‘Behen ji’ is the head of the family and the family is all of us, a group of Jatav men at Sandaha village say, asserting that their vote to Mayawati-led Bahujan Samaj Party is not tied to its fortunes in any election but to keep the party strong.

    “If we don’t vote it, then who will,” Vishal Kumar, who studies in an NIT in Karnataka, asks in a pointer to the largest Dalit community, who are estimated to number nearly 11-12 per cent in Uttar Pradesh, being the most loyal supporters of the party.

    From the state’s western edges neighbouring Delhi to its eastern part, the BSP appears to be holding a big chunk of its core votes but yet there are signs that some of them are considering other options, with the Samajwadi Party being seen as a main challenger to the BJP in most of the seats in the elections to the 403-member assembly.

    At several places, young members of the community criticise the BJP for a lack of employment opportunities, showing an inclination towards Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav.

    In Hathauda village, Suraj Kumar, 22, and his young friends lament the lack of recruitment in the Army or other central police forces for quite a few years, expressing apprehension that they will soon be overage.

    He says it is thanks to the support from his elder brother working in the CRPF that his households manage to get by.

    “It is a hard life,” he says.

    However, there are counter-views as well.

    With many community members depending on daily menial work, which was hit hard during the Covid-19 pandemic, some express their happiness at the free ration scheme of the BJP governments at the Centre and the state.

    They are also wary of an SP government.

    “It is difficult for us to live in peace when they are in power,” Manoj Kumar, a fruit-seller, says, in a reference to the Samajwadi Party.

    The BJP has constantly linked the party’s previous stint in Lucknow with law and order problems, a charge which appears to resonate with a big section of voters.

    But it is also clear that the BSP remains the party they consider their own.

    “Mayawati’s rule was known for tough administration and its control over law and order. There is no casteism under her. She has worked to give us samman (respect) and made us equal with others,” he says.

    Some BJP and Samajwadi Party leaders acknowledged that the BSP’s grip over Jatav voters is so firm that their workers consider it a waste of time to campaign in their villages.

    The BSP’s problem is, though, visible when it comes to attracting votes from members of other communities, which is necessary for it to become a serious contender for power.

    The party has fielded more Muslims than Samajwadi Party but even in seats like Prayagraj West, where the BSP candidate is a Muslim while the SP’s is not, members of the minority community have put their faith in Akhilesh Yadav’s nominee.

    Political watchers believe that the BSP will have a decent chance in seats where it has strong candidates from other communities that will combine with Jatav votes to put it in contention.

    A BJP leader, who did not wish to be named, said that it is these committed BSP voters who have ensured that a ticket from the party remains in demand among local politicians with a following of their own.

    Union Home Minister Amit Shah had recently acknowledged the BSP’s strength among Dalits, saying it will draw their votes and also a section of Muslims, a remark seen by some to be tactical as the BJP may believe that a complete marginalisation of the party may not suit it.

    The bond that the BSP enjoys with its loyal supporters is so deep that some can’t even countenance any suggestion of the party being not so strong this time.

    “Behen ji has kept a low profile due to strategic reasons. She is fighting in a silent mode to keep rivals clueless. Wait for the results,” Karmraj Gautam, who works with Bahujan Volunteer Force, an organisation that works to maintain order at BSP’s programmes, said at a rally site of Mayawati.

    He, then, added, “For us, Bahujan Samaj Party is part of our identity.”

  • Bulldozer Baba zindabad: BJP workers greet Yogi during his roadshow in Prayagraj

    By PTI

    PRAYAGRAJ: BJP supporters greeted Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath with the slogan of “Bulldozer Baba zindabad” as he held his roadshow here on Friday in support of his Cabinet colleague Sidharth Nath Singh’s candidature from City (West) assembly seat.

    Nearly two-km-long roadshow of the chief minister starting from Karbala Chauraha and ending at Nakhash Kona Chauraha of the city was attended by “lakhs” of people, eyewitnesses said.

    During the entire roadshow, which started at 5 pm and ended at 6 pm, people carrying the BJP’s saffron flags rent the air with slogans of “Jai Shri Ram” and Bulldozer Baba Zindabad”.

    The new term for the chief minister was first heard from Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav, who, in a YouTube video, has claimed that a prestigious English daily has changed Yogi Adityanath’s name to Baba Bulldozer.

    The term purportedly owes its origin to the extensive use of bulldozers by the Uttar Pradesh government for demolishing illegal properties of criminals in the state.

    The roadshow interestingly began near a place where Adityanath had done the ‘bhumi pujan’ for a residential complex for common people on a piece of land acquired by the state government from the possession of former MP Atique Ahmed.

    The roadshow was led by over half a dozen horse-mounted BJP workers carrying the party’s saffron flags, followed by other party workers beating drums and blowing trumpets.

    A tableau of Lord Ram, his wife Sita and Lord Hanuman too formed part of the roadshow with a large number of women marching along and the people showering flower petals from their rooftops on Chief Minister Adityanath and party’s candidate Siddharth Nath Singh.

    The event also had some tense moments as a convoy of Samajwadi Party candidate Richa Singh and her supporters sought to crossed its path with the roadshow route, resulting in some angry exchanges between supporters of the two parties.

    The police, however, managed to control the situation by diverting the SP candidate’s convoy to an alternative route.

    After the completion of the roadshow, the chief minister urged people to vote for the BJP to ensure that the state continued to be ruled by a “double-engine” government and continue progressing at a fast pace.

    The assembly segments of the Prayagraj district go to the polls on February 27 during the fifth phase of the state assembly elections, the electioneering for which ended Friday.

  • UP: In ‘Madad Palace’ of BJP leader, temple, mosque exist in harmony

    By PTI

    BAHRAICH: In ‘Madad Palace’ of a BJP leader in Uttar Pradesh, almost all religions have found a place.

    Every morning, Arunveer Singh offers prayers at a temple, mosque, gurdwara and church at his home in Hariharpur Raikwari village in Bahraich district.

    The practice has been going on in his house, popularly called Madad Palace, for the past about five decades.

    Arunveer Singh (59), who is fighting the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections from the Muslim-dominant Matera seat, believes that the age-old communal harmony being practiced at the palace will help him in the polls.

    His father Yashveer Singh had built the places of worship in Madad Palace in 1967.

    The purpose was that the palace could represent the mixed culture of the village and surrounding areas, and where people of all faiths could worship.

    “Respect for mixed culture is in our blood. Our grandfather Late Yashveer Singh had built a temple, mosque, gurdwara, church as well as Lord Buddha’s temple in this palace so that people of all religions could worship here,” Arunveer’s son Karanvir told PTI.

    “The doors of the palace were always open for the needy. Maybe that’s why the palace was named Madad,” he said.

    “Our village has a mixed population. When we have a havan in the palace, people from the Muslim community also sit together. We also attend their events in the same way,” Karanvir said.

    Arunveer Singh said that he is proud that he truly represents Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of equal development of all.

    “I claim with pride in all election speeches that I have fully imbibed PM Modi’s slogan ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas’. We rise above caste and religion and work for all including Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Christians and Buddhists,” he said.

    Arunveer Singh had joined the BJP in 2016 from the Samajwadi Party (SP).

    He has been a member of the Legislative Council once from local bodies’ constituency and twice the member of the Legislative Assembly from the Fakharpur seat during the old delimitation when he was in the SP.

    Arunveer’s younger brother Atulveer’s wife Manju Singh is the chairman of zila panchayat.

    Arunveer said that though Matera is a Muslim majority area, given the image of his family and also his own, he expects to get the votes of Muslims as well in the election.

    Former cabinet minister and SP leader Yasar Shah is the current MLA from the seat.

    In the 2017 elections, Yasar Shah had defeated Arunveer by about 1,500 votes.

    This time the SP has fielded Yasar Shah’s wife Maria Shah from Matera.

    The Congress has given the ticket to Ali Akbar, who had finished second in the 2012 state elections.

    The AIMIM and the BSP have also fielded candidates from the Muslim communities.

    Voting for the Matera seat will be held on February 27 in the fifth phase of the Uttar Pradesh assembly polls.

  • INTERVIEW | Nationalism, development, good law and order on BJP’s agenda, says Yogi Adityanath

    Express News Service

    The BJP will win 80 per cent seats in the Uttar Pradesh assembly and in the rest of 20 per cent, all other parties will try to find their feet. The BJP’s agenda is nationalism, development, and good law and order, UP CM and BJP leader Yogi Adityanath told Namita Bajpai in an interview. Excerpts: 

    Q. With UP polls already halfway, where do you find BJP standing?

    A. We are going ahead with nationalism, development and good law and order agenda. We are coming back winning 80 percent of seats in the state and forming the government as people have the confidence that BJP can provide them security and development.

    Q. Your statement over 80 per cent vs 20 per cent has drawn strong reactions. Your take

    A. I speak only what is real. I have been saying right from the beginning that this is a tussle of 80 percent and 20 percent. People have interpreted this as per their own perceptions. What I meant by saying it was that BJP will win 80 per cent of seats and in the rest of 20 per cent, all others will try to find their feet.

    Q. The polls in UP have become more or less bipolar between BJP and SP. Will it impact BJP prospects?

    A. In the 2019 General elections, SP and BSP had come together to stitch a mahagathbandhan (grand alliance). Even RLD was also a part of it and Congress had a tacit understanding with them. It had turned out to be a bipolar contest even then as it had become a fight of BJP Vs all. In that election, the BJP had taken a lead on 287-290 assembly segments. It was neither a triangular nor four-corner fight then. It was a straight fight and we won 80 per cent of the Lok Sabha seats. Rest 20 per cent were divided among others. Ironically, Samajwadi Party, leading the grand alliance, had slipped to the number three position. BSP was ahead of it.

    Q. Was SP-RLD alliance a setback for BJP in western UP?

    RLD was with the SP in the previous Lok Sabha elections as well. The results were there for everyone to see. It is not going to make much difference.

    Q. Why has there been an apparent shift from development to law and order in BJP’s narrative?

    A. Development becomes real and meaningful only when the poor feel secured and protected. Rule of law is the basic tenet of good governance. The first condition to establish rule of law is a genuine effort made by the dispensation to ensure security and respect to one and all without any discrimination. So we focused on law and order. We have made the state curfew-free, riot-free and fearless. There has been no riot and hence, no prolonged curfews during the last five years. We have inculcated fearlessness and confidence among girls who can now step out freely at any time. It was beyond imagination before 2017. We focused on the issue of rule of law but I have never missed the discussion on the development and welfare of the deprived in my discourse. Possibly, this is the first election post-independence, when people are acknowledging openly that law and order have improved genuinely on the ground.

    Q. Your poll speeches reflect that you are back to hardline and aggressiveness?

    A. There is neither a hard-line nor a soft line in BJP. We have only a single line shown by Lord Ram to rid the earth of demons or the one shown by Lord Krishna in Bhagwad Gita — Paritranaya Sadhunam (for the welfare of holy people). We follow these philosophies. We work to ensure a peaceful life for people bringing anti-social elements and criminals into the ambit of the law. We have tried to work to achieve this relentlessly and have already got our goal and vision set for the next five years.

    Q. SP Chief Akhilesh Yadav feels that your statement — Garmi Utar Jayegi — has offended many.

    A. Naturally, the statement will annoy them. The reason is that all those who used to resort to lawlessness and intimidation of others are associated with them. Be it the person behind Kairana migration or rioters inciting trouble from Saharanpur in the west to Mau in the east or even professional criminals and mafia who were hiding in their confines for the last five years, have come out after getting tickets from the Samajwadi Party. They have started showing their colours again by intimidating voters.  SP leaders feel offended by my statement because all of those who had been on our radar during the last five years used to run the Samajwadi Party government earlier. They had created a mess in UP. They brought infamy and disrepute to the state. So I consoled the people saying that all will be well after March 10. Secondly, their agenda does not include the welfare of the poor and deprived. They believe in patronizing the mafia and empathizing with terrorists. They are doing it even today.

    Q. Do you think the Supreme Court order to withdraw recovery notices against anti-CAA protestors has any impact on BJP prospects?

    A. No impact. The state government has already been working on the issue. When anti—CAA riots were plotted here, we had released an administrative order to handle the situation then. Later, we brought an Act in 2020. The government, under the Act, has already set up three tribunals in Lucknow, Meerut, and Prayagraj. Some of the cases have been handed over to the tribunals and the rest are in process of withdrawal when the SC order has come. The apex court has permitted us to act under the Uttar Pradesh Recovery of Damages to Public and Private Property Act -2020

    Q. Stray cattle is a big issue in this election. Your take.

    A. It is not a new issue. It was always there and is not only limited to UP. Secondly, should we allow the slaughter of Gau Mata? We have closed illegal slaughterhouses and I say with conviction that illegal slaughterhouses will not be allowed to operate. Moreover, we have done a lot for the rehabilitation of shelterless cattle. At present, we are taking care of nine lakh stray cattle of which a lakh have been given to farmers to look after. We give an allowance of Rs 900 per month per cattle to the farmer. Even under the guidance of PM Narendra Modi , a new model to deal with the issue is ready in Kashi and it will be implemented in each UP district.

    Q. Your statement over the Hijab row created a flutter. Your take.

    A. I think personalized attire should be limited to places where there is no defined dress code or uniform. Everyone should abide by a dress code in institutions where it is well defined as it is a matter of discipline. It should not have been made an issue at all as there can be no alternative to discipline. So I feel that the system in the country will be run according to Constitution and not the personal laws.

    Q. Why has Aparna Yadav not been given a ticket?

    A. Aparna Yadav has not joined the BJP for a ticket. She has been a very good social worker and she has made it clear that she joined the BJP as PM Narendra Modi’s ‘nation first’ sentiment moved her. She believes in nationalism and the party will certainly think about her in the days to come.

    Q. Do you think the Lakhimpur Kheri incident has been an issue in this election?

    A. BJP is winning all the seats of Lakhimpur Kheri. I have campaigned on all the seats and there is no doubt about the party’s victory there with good margins.

    Q. How do you intend to address anti-incumbency against MLAs in various assembly segments?

    A. Look, people have to vote for government formation and it will be done if we get an adequate number of MLAs. At least, two years of our tenure were spent in fighting Covid. The BJP MLAs have done a good job but many of them might not have come up to people’s expectations. I appeal to the people to vote for BJP and I assure them that the government will address all issues which people have against the MLAs in their constituencies.

  • Assembly Polls 2022 updates: All eyes on Lakhimpur as phase four of UP election gets underway

    By Online Desk

    Voting for 59 Assembly constituencies spread over nine districts in Uttar Pradesh began on Wednesday morning.

    The polling started at 7 am and will continue till 6 pm.

    This is the fourth phase of the Assembly polls in the state, where elections are to be held in seven rounds.

    As many as 624 candidates are in the fray in the fourth phase.

    According to the Election Commission, 2.3 crore people, including 1.14 crore men and 99.3 lakh women, are eligible to vote, for which 24,643 polling booths and 13,817 poling centres have been set up in this phase.

    The districts where the poling is being held are Pilibhit, Lakhimpur Kheri, Sitapur, Hardoi, Unnao, Lucknow, Rae Bareli, Banda and Fatehpur.

  • UP polls: BJP, Congress face challenges to save strongholds in Phase 4

    Express News Service

    LUCKNOW: With the first three phases of UP assembly elections over in western UP, Rohilkhand, central UP, and parts of Bundelkhand with prominent pockets of Jats, Muslims, and Yadavs, the stage is now set for the fourth phase of polling on Wednesday, February 23, over 59 seats spread across nine districts of Awadh, Terai and Bundelkhand regions.

    In this phase, the seats going to polls fall in strongholds of both the BJP and the Congress. While the Samajwadi Party is trying to breach the saffron dominance of 201, BSP has the challenge of sustaining its relevance.

    Phase -4 includes 16 reserved constituencies. Pilibhit, Lakhimpur-Kheri, Sitapur, Lucknow, Hardoi, Unnao, Rae Bareli, Fatehpur, and Banda districts will go to the polls on Wednesday. While Lucknow, Sitapur, Unnao, and Hardoi are considered to be the strongholds of BJP, Raebareli is the pocket borough of Congress. BSP is eyeing to make gains in Banda and Fatehpur.

    A total of 624 candidates are in the fray from 59 Assembly seats. The maximum number of candidates – 15 – are testing the poll waters in Sawayajpur in Hardoi while a minimum of six candidates each, are contesting for two seats — Palia in Lakhimpur Khari and Sevata in Sitapur.

    ALSO READ | UP polls: Yogi brings the ‘bulldozer’ reference again; Akhilesh counts utility of ‘bicycle’

    In 2017, the saffron juggernaut had taken away 50 of 59 seats while one seat was won by its ally Apna Dal (S). Main opposition SP could win four seats, while two seats each were won by the BSP and Congress. This phase will witness a fierce battle for the state capital Lucknow having nine assembly segments of which the BJP had won eight and SP one in 2017.

    In the fourth phase, the fate of four Yogi ministers including Brijesh Pathak, Ashutosh Tandon, Jai Kumar  Singh ‘Jackie’ and Ranvendra Pratap Singh alias Dhunni Singh are at stake from Lucknow Cantt, Lucknow -East, Bindki and Hussainganj seats in Fatehpur district respectively. Even former ministers like SP’s Dr Abhishek Mishra and Manoj Pandey are also in the fray respectively from Sarojininagar seat of Lucknow and Unchahar of Reabareli.

    While the BJP is facing the challenge of saving its pride in the stronghold of former PM and BJP stalwart Atal Bihari Vajpayee in Lucknow, SP is depending upon the anti-incumbency against some of the sitting BJP MLAs who are in the contest again and also some new faces fielded by the party.

    ALSO WATCH |

    It will be interesting to watch how the Lakhimpur Kheri violence issue plays out in the poll arena on Wednesday.  It may be recalled that Lakhimpur Kheri had hit the headlines after a farmers’ protest took a violent turn on October 3, 2021, and eight persons had lost life. The stir had gone violent after four protesting farmers were killed when the crowd of protestors was ploughed in by an SUV owned by Union Minister and sitting BJP MP Ajay Mishra Teni. In the aftermath, three persons were lynched by the angry mob. Teni’s son Ashish Mishra is the keyaccused in the farmers’ killing case and has been granted bail recently by Allahabad High Court.

    The opposition has constantly been targeting the BJP over the incident seeking Teni’s removal from the Modi cabinet.

    ALSO READ | BJP builds on ‘suraksha’, free grains in UP polls; faces questions on unemployment

    This phase is crucial for the BJP which faces the challenge in Pilibhit of Terai region where its MP Varun Gandhi has been humming discordant tunes speaking up against his own party. Varun is BJP MP from Pilibhit, a farmer and Sikh-dominated constituency. In fact, both Pilibhit and Lakhimpur Kheri have a considerable chunk of the Sikh population who were rehabilitated in the Terai region after they took refuge in India following the 1947 partition. Now the community owns a huge expanse of farming land in the most fertile region of UP.

    Moreover, the year-long farmers’ protest over three now scrapped farm laws has some resonance on the ground in the Terai region as it is believed that at least one member had joined the farmers’ stir from every Sikh family.

    While the BJP is facing the challenge from rebel candidates in Sitapur, for the Congress, the biggest challenge of these elections comes in Rae Bareli as both the sitting Congress MLAs Aditi Singh from Raebareli Sadar and Rakesh Pratap Singh from Harchandpur, have turned rebels and are now contesting on BJP ticket.

    Rae Bareli is the parliamentary constituency of Congress president Sonia Gandhi and the party will face major embarrassment if it fails to retain its citadel.