Uttar Pradesh: A three-corner fight between the BJP and Rajput ire

On Tuesday, there were large cutouts of Prime Minister Modi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath along every route that led to Saharanpur city. The waiting throng on both sides of the sidewalk celebrated with Jai Shri Ram shouts as Yogi Adityanath and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Raghav Lakhanpal went out a big roadshow in an open truck decorated with flowers in the evening.

Notably, the Chief Minister is visiting Saharanpur for the third time in an apparent attempt to appease the Rajput community, which has publicly called for a boycott of the BJP in Western Uttar Pradesh. Saharanpur will participate in the first phase of the Lok Sabha elections on Friday, April 19. Although the BJP’s traditional supporters, the Rajputs, formed maha panchayats in Saharanpur, Muzaffarnagar, and Meerut last week to show support for the party’s opponents, the BJP leaders claim that Yogi Adityanath, Union minister Rajnath Singh, and the chief minister of Haryana have effectively intervened to put an end to the unrest.

Behat-based BJP volunteer Sanjay Chauhan acknowledges that there was unhappiness about the community’s single Lok Sabha seat. “The issues are now resolved. Chauhan, a hardware store owner, adds, “We had a meeting yesterday and announced our support for the BJP after the senior officials promised us that our worries would be handled next time. The candidates in this election are Muslims and Hindus. Another BJP supporter, Mohit Goel, asserts that only the state and federal BJP governments are capable of controlling the area’s mostly Muslim population.

Behat, a Saharanpur assembly seat, is proud of its sizable Muslim population. Saharanpur is made up of the following five assembly seats: Behat, Deoband, Rampur, Maniharan, Saharanpur Rural, and Saharanpur.

Despite the obvious fault lines, the Muslim community ignores any conflict that may arise locally between Muslims and Hindus. “Assets related to livelihood are more significant in this election. The tide is turning in favor of the Congress-SP candidate, adds Mohammed Aslam, another local merchant. Saharanpur, a mostly Muslim seat, is hosting a triangular race between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Samajwadi Party (SP) — Congress coalition, and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP). This election is expected to be one of the most closely followed in western Uttar Pradesh.

For a third term in a row, the BJP has put up Raghav Lakhanpal in the hopes of building on his amazing achievement in 2014. Majid Ali, the BSP candidate, is running against Imran Masood, the candidate for the Congress. Trying his luck for the third time is Congress candidate Imran Masood, who made waves during the 2014 elections with his infamous claim that he “will chop off Modi into pieces.” Despite Masood’s party move during the 2019 election, Congressmen are optimistic that, with the SP alliance’s backing, he can get a clear majority this time around.

“40 percent of voters are Muslims.”

Muslims comprise more than 40% of the electorate in Saharanpur. In 2014, during the Modi wave, BJP candidate Raghav Lakhanpal Sharma defeated Congressman Imran Masood by 65,000 votes to win the seat. However, in 2019, when the BSP, RLD, and SP were running together, BSP candidate Fazlur Rehman defeated Sharma. Five assembly seats make up Saharanpur, including Saharanpur Rural, Deoband, Rampur Maniharan, and Behat. Saharanpur is home to the largest Islamic seminary in Asia, Darul Uloom, located at Deoband.

“A communal raga” is Kairana.

Known for its “communal raga,” Kairana is now more well recognized for its “Kirana Gharana” of Hindustani classical music. In a three-way race, the SP has put Munawwar’s daughter Ikra Hasan on the ballot, while the BJP has put its trust in MP Pradeep Chaudhury.Sripal Singh Rana, a former BSF jawan, is running for office on Mayawati’s BSP.

Rampur

With more than 51% of the population Muslim, Rampur is expected to see a fascinating contest between Delhi-based cleric Maulana Mohibullah Nadvi, the SP, and BJP MP Ghanshyam Lodhi. But by fielding Zeeshan Khan, who would dilute the core voting base of the SP, the BSP has made it harder for the SP to win.

Bijnor

NDA partner RLD, which fielded Chandan Chauhan, its MLA from Meerapur, has Bijnor in its kitty. Mayawati had run in her first election from Bijnor. But this time, RLD and BSP are seen as competing with one another.

Muzaffarnagar

In Muzaffarnagar, a seat dominated by the Jat community, Union minister and BJP candidate Sanjeev Baliyan is vying for a third term in an intense three-way contest. However, SP’s Harendra Mallik, a Jat, is posing a serious threat to him. Dara Singh Prajapati of the BSP is registering his presence by interacting with prospective voters, which is adding intrigue to the battle.

Nagina

There is a multifaceted battle going on for the reserved seat, including the BJP, SP, BSP, and Army Captain Chandrashekhar Azad. Najibabad, Nagina, and Noorpur Assembly constituencies were won by SP in the five sectors in the 2022 Assembly elections; Dhampur and Nehtaur were won by BJP. The route for the BJP candidate would get simpler if Chandrashekhar steals some of the BSP’s votes.

Pilibhit

Despite the absence of Maneka Gandhi’s support shouts from Pilibhit’s political landscape—the BJP rejected MP Varun Gandhi and replaced him with Congress turncoat Jitin Prasada—a furious battle is about to break out on the ground as the SP has nominated Bhagwat Charan Gangwar. BSP’s Anis Ahmad Khan, often known as Gulab Babu, has given the fight more flair.