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Sisamau bypoll: A battle of prestige for BJP, SP
CM Yogi proposed to hold a roadshow during his third visit since Oct 17 here on Nov 16; Akhilesh is to hold his on Nov 18
The Sisamau assembly seat in Kanpur has turned into a prestige issue for both the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Samajwadi Party (SP).
Both the parties are pulling out all stops to win the seat. Over the past 10 days, almost all senior leaders of the two parties have visited the constituency to strengthen their hold over 2.71 lakh voters.
Chief minister Yogi Adityanath is scheduled to visit here on Saturday—third time in the last two one month— while SP chief Akhilesh Yadav will be making his second visit to the constituency within a week. This is indicative of the importance of this contest.
Yogi Adityanath had visited the constituency on October 17 and on November 9, addressing rallies at GIC ground and at Darshanpurva central park in support of BJP candidate Suresh Awasthi.
On November 13, Akhilesh Yadav addressed a rally at the GIC ground in support of SP candidate Naseem Solanki. Now, both the leaders are prepared for another round of campaigning. On Saturday, (November 16), CM Yogi will hold a 1.4-km long roadshow.
Meanwhile, the SP is also preparing for Akhilesh Yadav’s roadshow scheduled for November 18. Besides, several other prominent leaders of the two parties have visited the constituency and more are expected in the coming days.
BJP regional president Prakash Pal said, “Akhilesh Yadav will have to answer as to why he gave a ticket to someone (Irfan Solanki) with a criminal background, leading to a byelection. The people of Sisamau will never trust a criminal. The roadshow of CM will seal victory for the BJP.”
Fazal Mahmood, city SP president, claims there is a lot of sympathy among the public for the party candidate Naseem Solanki.
“We believe she will secure even more votes than Irfan Solanki (her husband) did. Our party has been preparing at ward and booth levels across the constituency. Our president Akhilesh Yadav will come to Sisamau on November 18. The atmosphere is increasingly in our favour.”
Irfan Solanki had represented the constituency for three consecutive terms before losing his membership of the assembly after his conviction.
