LS polls: SP and BSP are eager to remain onto power in UP, while BJP wants to increase its total

May 23, Lucknow The Samajwadi Party (SP) and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) have the difficult challenge of holding onto their seats in the state’s current Lok Sabha elections, with the sixth round of voting set to take place on May 26.

Sultanpur, Pratapgarh, Basti, Allahabad, Domariyaganj, Sant Kabir Nagar, Bhadohi, and Machhlishahr are among the nine seats that the BJP won in 2019.

While the SP won Azamgarh, which it subsequently lost to the BJP in a by-election, the BSP had won four seats: Ambedkar Nagar, Shrawasti, Lalganj, and Jaunpur. The BSP therefore has a difficult time holding onto this seat during the current Lok Sabha elections.

Sultanpur, Pratapgarh, Phulpur, Shrawasti, Basti, Jaunpur, Allahabad, Ambedkar Nagar, Domariyaganj, Sant Kabir Nagar, Lalganj, Azamgarh, Bhadohi, and Machhlishahr are among the constituencies that will vote in the sixth round of the election.

Maneka Gandhi of the BJP is up against Udraj Varma of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and Ram Bhual Nishad of the Samajwadi Party (SP) this time. Maneka is in a comfortable position after skillfully directing her campaign on regional development problems.

Sangam Lal Gupta, the current BJP MP in Pratapgarh, is facing off against Prathmesh Mishra of the BSP and Shiv Pal Singh Patel of the SP.

There is a tight struggle going on for the important seat of Allahabad between Ujjwal Rewati Raman Singh of the Congress and Neeraj Tripathi of the BJP.

Both Neeraj and Ujjawal, the sons of late Speaker Kesri Nath Tripathi and former MP Reoti Raman Singh, are putting forth a lot of effort to continue their fathers’ political heritage.

Two former leaders of the BSP, albeit from separate parties, are contesting each other in Ambedkar Nagar.

Lalji Verma, a former BSP legislator, is the Samajwadi Party candidate, while former BSP MP Ritesh Pandey is running on a BJP ticket.

The current BJP MP for Domariyaganj, Jagdambika Pal, is in a tight race with the BSP’s Khwaja Shamsuddin and the SP’s Bhishma Shankar Tiwari.

Ram Prasad Chaudhary of the SP is challenging incumbent BJP MP Harish Dwiwedi in Basti, while BJP MP B P Saroj is vying for a third term in Machhlishahr against Priya Saroj, the SP candidate and daughter of former MP Tufani Saroj.

The battle in Lalganj is triangular, with Neelam Sonkar of the BJP, Daroga Saroj of the SP, and young professor Indu Chaudhary of the BSP.

Azamgarh seat, a bastion of the SP with a sizable Muslim-Yadav vote, is the scene of a fierce struggle between former MP Dharmendra Yadav and Bhojpuri actor Dinesh Lal Yadav, well known as “Nirahua,” of the BJP.

Leading SP figures have been actively supporting Dharmendra Yadav and are doing all in their power to secure his victory. In order to win a second term, Nirahua is relying on the efforts of the double-engine administration.

Another fascinating struggle between former Maharashtra minister Kripa Shankar Singh of the BJP and Babu Singh Kushwaha of the SP is taking place in Jaunpur. The BSP is fielding Shyam Singh Yadav, the current Member of Parliament.

In this seat, mafia don-turned-politician Dhananjay Singh is acting as a kingmaker. His wife, Srikala Reddy Singh, was unexpectedly refused a BSP ticket.

This election marks the Trinamool Congress’s entry onto the political scene in Uttar Pradesh. In Bhadohi, Laliteshpati Tripathi is the TMC candidate. He is the great-grandson of the late Kamlapati Tripathi, a seasoned Congress politician.

Athar Ansari of the BSP and Vinod Kumar Bind of the BJP are challenging him.

BJP spokesperson Rakesh Tripathi said, “We are winning all 14 seats in this phase because the voters have consolidated in favour of the BJP.”

During this part of the campaign, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has actively promoted an agenda centred on Uttar Pradesh.

“There are two models in our nation for the election. While the SP, Congress, and “Ghamandiya” (selfish) models are predicated on “Tushtikaran” (appeasement), Modi’s model is centered on “Santushtikaran” (satisfaction). The Congress and SP have a deadly playbook. “While their allies in south India abuse and humiliate the people of UP, these people come here to seek votes,” Prime Minister Modi said in Jaunpur.