Sahibabad: UP CM Adityanath drums up support for BJP with door-to-door campaigns

Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath conducted a door-to-door campaign in Sahibabad assembly constituency and held two indoor meetings with eminent persons on Sunday as part of the BJP campaign for the first phase of the UP assembly elections scheduled on February 10

Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath conducted a door-to-door campaign in Sahibabad assembly constituency and held two indoor meetings with eminent persons on Sunday as part of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) campaign for the first phase of the UP assembly elections scheduled on February 10.

Ghaziabad, India - January 23, 2022: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath during his door- to door camping at Rajiv Colony, Sahibabad, in Ghaziabad, India, on Sunday, January 23 , 2022. (Photo by Sakib Ali /Hindustan Times)

While UP deputy chief minister Dr Dinesh Sharma was on a campaign trail in neighbouring Greater Noida, Adityanath himself led the campaign in the two key assembly seats of Sahibabad and Ghaziabad.

Sahibabad seat has 10,12,154 eligible voters, while Ghaziabad assembly constituency has 4,69,505 voters according to the latest electoral rolls.

The BJP has fielded all its five sitting MLAs from each of the five seats in Ghaziabad. From Sahibabad, the party has fielded Sunil Sharma, who is given ticket for the fourth consecutive time while UP minister (health) Atul Garg will contest his second consecutive election (third overall) from the Ghaziabad seat.

Sources in the party said that there was dissent among BJP workers and some of its leaders because tickets were to the sitting MLAs. In several cases, some of those opposing the ticket distribution have filed their nomination papers as Independents, while some have also joined the opposition parties and secured a ticket, like in case of KK Shukla, who is contesting the Ghaziabad seat on a ticket given by the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP).

Adityanath, who is also BJP’s star campaigner, chose Sanjay Colony in Sahibabad and a slum cluster in Vijay Nagar to drum up support for his party. There was a heavy rush at Rajiv Colony with hundreds of locals arriving to get a glimpse of the chief minister, who arrived with Ghaziabad MP and Union minister General VK Singh (retired). People showered flower petals on Adityanath and handed over memorandums, highlighting their concerns to him.

“There was a huge gathering as Adityanath came afoot for the door-to-door campaign and women wished him good luck while showering flower petals. Our locality has a dominant population of Valmikis and comprises about 20,000 votes that falls under Sahibabad seat,” said Tilak Ram, a local who was elated after the chief minister visited his house.

In Sahibabad, BJP’s Sunil Sharma faces arch-rival Amarpal Sharma who is contesting this time on SP ticket and also against debutant Sangeeta Tyagi from the Congress, Chhavi Yadav from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Ajit Kumar Pal from the BSP.

In Ghaziabad seat, UP minister Atul Garg faces BSP’s KK Shukla, SP’s Vishal Verma, Sushant Goyal of the Congress and Lalit Yadav from the AAP as key opponents.

BJP office-bearers denied that dissent would have any impact on the poll campaign of the ruling party. “There is no dissent in the party and in the coming days you will see that some people will withdraw their nominations. Their issues have been taken up and discussed. Adityanath himself holding two meetings and door-to-door campaigns in Ghaziabad shows the significance of the district for the party. His visit will infuse a lot of energy among party cadres,” said Sanjeev Sharma, president of the BJP’s city unit.

Political experts said that Adityanath holding a series of poll campaigns and meetings in a single day in Ghaziabad holds importance. “Speeches made from key areas such as Mathura, Varanasi, Gorakhpur and western UP hold a lot of importance and have a state-wide impact. His visit is significant as Ghaziabad district has five seats at stake for the party,” said Dr Virendra Singh, associate professor (political science) from MMH College, Ghaziabad.

On Saturday, Union home minister Amit Shah campaigned in Kairana in western UP’s Shamli district and addressed small groups and also took part in a door-to-door campaign.

“The door-to-door campaigns are the best form of meeting voters and garnering their support. This practice of late has reduced considerably unlike the way it used to happen during previous elections. It is one of the best forms of campaigning, which directly impacts voters. It will come in handy as rallies and roadshows have been banned for now due to the Covid-19 pandemic,” said KK Sharma, associate professor (history) from MM College, Modinagar.