LUCKNOW: Defection from politics can sometimes give rise to strange coincidences.
All his main rivals in the Phu Pur Lok Sabha constituency, where the first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru was elected thrice, are associated with the BSP.
The BJP, which replaced sitting MP Kesri Devi Patel, has fielded BSP MP Pravin Patel from Jhusi constituency. Samajwadi Party candidate Amarnath Maurya also has a long association with the BSP. Mayawati’s BSP has fielded Jagannath Pal from the constituency.
Interestingly, both the BJP and SP candidates were previously associated with the BSP and therefore claim to have the support of over 30 lakh Dalit voters in the constituency, just like the official BSP candidate.
Phoolpur is considered a VIP constituency as it was Nehru’s ‘Karmhomi’ who represented the constituency in 1951, 1957 and 1962.
After Nehru, his sister Vijay Lakshmi Pandit represented the district in 1964 and 1967. Former chief minister Vishwanath Pratap Singh was the MP from the district in 1971. Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya won from Phoolpur in the 2014 LS elections but later resigned.
Purpur was also represented in the House by slain gangster-turned-politician Ateeq Ahmed.
“We have support from all sections of society. Dalit people are also on our side. We are seeking votes in the name of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and on the basis of the development works being undertaken by his government,” BJP candidate Pravin Patel said.
The saffron party is heavily dependent on the support of around 3.5 lakh Kurmi voters in the constituency. The Apna Dal (AD), which is largely made up of Kurmi people, has considerable influence among the community’s voters and is also an alliance partner of the BJP.
A sizeable number of Kurmis are expected to support the saffron party, while Muslims and Yadavs, totalling around 450,000, are likely to back Indian candidate Amarnath Maurya.
BSP candidate Jagannath Pal is banking on the party’s traditional Dalit voters as well as the roughly 100,000 Pal ethnic voters in the constituency.
Of the five constituencies under Phulpur LS seat, the BJP won four seats and the SP one in the 2022 elections. Political experts say Phulpur is likely to see a three-way fight this time. Polling in Phulpur will be held on Saturday in the sixth phase of elections.
Published May 23, 2024 22:36 IST
