Uttar Pradesh Key Seats In Phase 2: As the second phase of Lok Sabha elections has commenced across 13 states and a Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir on 88 seats, eyes are on key eight constituencies undergoing voting in Uttar Pradesh. Following the largely bipolar contest of the 2019 elections with the Samajwadi Party (SP) and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) alliance, this year witnesses a three-cornered battle after Mayawati’s announced to go solo.
A total of 91 candidates are vying for victory across eight Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh, namely, Amroha, Meerut, Baghpat, Ghaziabad, Gautam Budh Nagar, Aligarh, Mathura, and Bulandshahr.
Amroha: The BJP had secured seven out of eight seats in the 2019 elections, while BSP had clinched the Amroha seat. BSP’s former candidate, Danish Ali, now a Congress candidate, was challenged by Mujahid Hussain of BSP and BJP’s Kanwar Singh Tanwar. In the last election, Ali managed to secure 6,01,082 votes against Tanwar’s 5,37,834 votes.
Meerut: BJP has replaced three-time MP Rajendra Agarwal with actor Arun Govil, known for portraying Lord Ram in the TV serial ‘Ramayan’. The contest intensifies as both Akhilesh and Mayawati field Hindu candidates in a constituency where Muslims constitute 36 per cent of the total populace. Sunita Verma of SP and Devvrat Kumar Tyagi are set to challenge Govil.
Mathura: The region is witnessing BJP’s two-time sitting MP Hema Malini contesting against OBC leader Mukesh Dhangar of Congress and Chaudhary Suresh Singh of BSP. While BJP banks on Modi’s performance and Hema Milini’s start power, Congress seeks votes for change. In 2014, Hema Malini defeated Rashtriya Lok Dal leader Jayant Chaudhary, who now has joined the saffron camp.
Ghaziabad: It sees Mayawati fielding Nandkishore Pundhir to tap into Rajput discontent against the BJP, currently represented by General VK Singh (retd). Congress has fielded Dolly Sharma. Mayawati’s selection of Pundhir seems to be an attempt to reap benefits from the ‘Khastriya dispute’ a BJP minister had caused recently. Notably, western UP constitutes a significant demographic of Rajput voters. However, Congress’s candidate selection reflects to be an attempt to prioritise Brahmin and Muslim voters. Click here for all the live updates coming straight from the polling grounds across 13 states/UTs.