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In quest of development, Gonda to choose between royalty and socialist scion
Shreya is contesting to reclaim her grandfather’s legacy, as Beni Prasad won the seat in 2009 as a Congress candidate. Being a woman, she is able to establish a good connect with female constituents.
GONDA: When talking about Gonda, one cannot miss invoking the legendary Hindi poet, Adam Gondvi. His satire on the vices of our political system and the corruption of our governance remains relevant.
Gonda is among the most backward district of Uttar Pradesh and with the largest population of migrant skilled and unskilled labourers in the state the issue of development is still an important one. According to state government data, around 2,72,905 migrant labourers returned to the region (Devipatan division) during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Gonda, which goes to the polls on May 20, is witnessing a fierce contest between the scion of an erstwhile princely state and a torchbearer of the socialist family. Kirtivardhan Singh, the scion of the Mankapur royal family and two-time sitting BJP MP, locked in a direct contest against the Samajwadi Party’s 33-year-old Shreya Verma. Bahujan Samaj Party’s Saurabh Kumar Mishra is also in the fray.
Shreya is a debutant politician and the granddaughter of socialist leader Beni Prasad Verma, who had significant influence among the Kurmi caste group. Shreya’s father, Rakesh Verma, is also a politician and served as a minister in the Samajwadi Party government led by Akhilesh Yadav.
Shreya is contesting to reclaim her grandfather’s legacy, as Beni Prasad won the seat in 2009 as a Congress candidate. Being a woman, she is able to establish a good connect with female constituents.
Kirtivardhan is aiming for his third consecutive win as BJP MP and fifth term in the Lok Sabha from the same seat. He won the 1998 and 2004 general elections from Gonda as a Samajwadi Party candidate.
In the Modi wave of 2014, Kirtivardhan joined the BJP and won the election. He retained the seat in 2019 and has been renominated for the third time. The Mankapur family holds considerable clout in the region.
Kirtivardhan Singh’s father, Anand Vardhan Singh, won the seat in 1971 under the NCO’s ticket (Indian National Congress (Organisation)) and in the 1980, 1984, and 1989 Lok Sabha elections as a Congress candidate.
On May 12, Hindustan Times reached the famous Siyaram tea stall in Malviya Nagar amidst the heated discussions over current political scenario.
“Despite being the headquarters of the Devipatan division, Gonda does not have a university. The project was allotted to Gonda but was later shifted to the adjoining Balrampur district,” said Utkarsh Yadav.
“Every election, political parties make promises to address issues and usher in development in this backward district. But they are forgotten after the election,” said Ramesh Srivastava.
Locals also lament the inadequate medical services in the district.“A 300-bed divisional hospital promised long ago by political parties is yet to materialise,” said Shiv Saran Lal Jaiswal, who operates a general store at the Jai Narain crossing.
Another grievance against MP Kirtivardhan Singh is his lack of accessibility while Shreya Verma faces accusations of being an outsider. The BSP candidate relies on core BSP votes to sustain his position in the contest.
(CASTE COMBINATION)
Muslims - 18%, Dalit - 21 %, Brahmin- 16 %, Rajput - 7%, Kurmi- 8%, Yadav- 8%, Kayastha- 3%, Vaish- 2%, Lodh/Prajapati/Nidhad- 5%, Other castes - 12%
(Assembly constituencies in Gonda)
Utraula, Mehnaun, Gonda, Mankapur and Gaura.
(PAST RESULTS)
2019 - Kirtivardhan Singh (BJP)
2014 - Kirtivardhan Singh (BJP)
2009- Beni Prasad Verma (Congress)
2004- Kirti Vardhan Singh (SP)
1999- Brij Bhushan Saran Singh (BJP)
1998- Kirti Vardhan Singh (SP)
1996 - Ketki Devi Singh (BJP)
