Uncertainty about Gandhis in the rice bowl of UP
Otherwise, Pilibhit, the state’s rice bowl and an unremarkable Lok Sabha seat in Uttar Pradesh, is making political waves. Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid a visit to the constituency, which is home to Maneka Gandhi and her son Varun, the other half of the Gandhi family, for the first time during his ten-year tenure.
The scenario is set for a tough battle on the ground, notwithstanding the absence of chants supporting Maneka and Varun in the constituency since the BJP replaced MP Varun Gandhi with Congress turncoat Jitin Prasada. As the PWD minister in Yogi Adityanath’s government, Prasada is a BJP MLC.
Former minister and five-term MLA Bhagwat Saran Gangwar has been fielded by the Samajwadi Party. Former Mayawati government minister Anis Ahmad Khan, also known as Gulab Babu, has been fielded by the BSP. Analysts predict that the BSP candidate’s presence would split Muslim votes in a way that will favour Jitin Prasada.
Pilibhit residents have varying opinions on Varun but unanimity in their support for Yogi and Modi. With the exception of 1991, when Maneka lost her seat to the BJP, the Gandhi brothers, Varun and Maneka, have represented Pilibhit in the Lok Sabha from 1989 to 2019.
Maneka picked Pilibhit after Rajiv Gandhi humiliated her in Amethi in 1984, and she entered the Lok Sabha for the first time in 1989 after winning the seat as a Janata Dal candidate. Maneka solidified her position in Pilibhit from 1996 forward, gaining it again as the JD candidate after losing it to the BJP in 1991.
She won it as an independent in 1998 and 1999, and as of 2004, Maneka and Varun have alternately held Pilibhit. Maneka represented it in 2004 and 2014, but Varun, a BJP contender, won the seat in 2009 and 2019.
Given that Maneka is from Pilibhit, which has a sizable Sikh minority, the BJP may take a negative stand on the mother and son’s absence.
Political analyst Prof. AK Mishra said, “Acknowledging that vacuum on the ground, PM took the command keeping his credibility in front to sail through.” The MP did not attend the PM’s Monday rally, but the voices in Varun’s favor are clear. People think that because of Modi’s popularity, the BJP would be able to win the seat; otherwise, the saffron party would have had a tough fight without Varun.
Since Modi is a charismatic and well-liked leader, the BJP will prevail from this point on. The margin would have been greater if Varun had been deployed once more, according to sweet store employee Saurabh Maurya.
Jitin Prasada, who is from the nearby district of Shahjahanpur, is really seen as an outsider. The distance between Pilibhit and the national capital, Lucknow, is 318 kilometers, and it is almost the same for the state capital. The five assembly segments of the LS seat are Baheri, Barkhera, Puranpur, Bisalpur, and Pilibhit; four of them are affiliated with the BJP, while one, Baheri, belongs with the SP.
The prevailing narrative on the ground is that there is a lot of man-animal conflict because of the tiger reserve, damage from floods, and private sugar mills that don’t compensate farmers. area senses
Kalimullah from Neuria said, “The INDI Alliance should be given an opportunity, but the path is difficult.” On the other hand, Anil Gangwar of Roopur village supports the BJP, claiming that a powerful MP is needed to handle the challenges. According to residents, the BJP also depends on the 40,000-strong Bengali immigrant population in the area, who support the party because to the CAA-NRC dispute.
