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UP assembly polls: Political agendas on test in fifth phase
The constituencies, in which caste-based parties like the Apna Dal (S), Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP), NISHAD party and Apna Dal (Kamerawadi) enjoy influence, are also located in the region going to polls in the fifth phase of the UP assembly election on Sunday
The distinct political agendas of the main parties will be on test in the in the fifth phase of the UP assembly polls covering 61 constituencies in 12 districts on Sunday.
This includes the Hindutva agenda of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Samajwadi Party’s effort to regain its hold over voters belonging to the other backward classes (OBC).
The Congress plan to reclaim its bastion and the Bahujan Samaj Party’s social engineering formula will also be watched during this round of the UP assembly polls.
Ayodhya, Chitrakoot, Prayagraj and Devi Patan, where polling will be held on Sunday, are described as the focal points of the BJP’s Hindutva plank.
To retain its hold, the BJP has highlighted the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya, the development of Chitrakoot, the 2019 Prayagraj Kumbh Mela and renovation of the Devi Patan temple. The party has also referred to the construction of medieval warrior Maharaja Suheldev’s memorial in Bahraich.
To counter the BJP’s kamandal (temple) plan, the SP has played the Mandal card. The main opposition party has promised a caste census after the formation of its government. The promise is the SP’s attempt to regain its hold in the area that has a large number of OBC voters, who were the party’s support base.
The Congress is also looking to get its act together. It had faced consecutive defeats in the 2017 assembly election and the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. Thereafter, Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra mobilised the party workers in a bid to reclaim the party stronghold Amethi. The BJP had wrested the Amethi Lok Sabha from the Congress in 2019. In 2017,too, the BJP put up a dominant show in the assembly constituencies of Amethi.
Looking to make a comeback, BSP chief Mayawati has played the social engineering card in the UP assembly polls this time. She has sought to win over the support of the upper caste, Dalits and OBCs in the fifth phase. For this, the BSP has fielded the maximum upper caste candidates followed by Dalits and OBCs. The BSP had also launched its assembly election campaign from Ayodhya in July last year to win the support of Brahmin voters.
The effort of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen (AIMIM) to make an entry in Uttar Pradesh politics will be on trial in Bahraich, which has a sizeable Muslim population. Party chief Asaduddin Owaisi has addressed several public meetings and party workers’ conferences there.
Political analyst Harsh Kumar Sinha, a faculty member at the Deen Dayal Upadhyaya University (Gorakhpur), said the fifth phase is the real testing ground for all the political parties. Rather than emotive issues, the caste factor will decisive in deciding the fate of the candidates, he said. The constituencies going to polls in the fifth phase have a large number of government employees. Hence, the promise for restoration of the old pension scheme and regularization of the services of shiksha mitras could be important factors here, he said.
The constituencies, in which caste-based parties like the Apna Dal (S), Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP), NISHAD party and Apna Dal (Kamerawadi) enjoy influence, are also located in region going to polls in the fifth phase. The role of the small caste- based parties will be important in deciding the fate of the candidates fielded by big alliance partners, he said.
Sanjay Singh, a political observer, said issues like stray cattle menace, flood, large-scale migration in search of employment, problem faced by people during the Covid- 19 pandemic will be important when the people go to vote on Sunday.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while addressing a public meeting at Bahraich (on February 22), assured the people that central government will come up with a solution to the stray cattle problem, he said.
This phase has some interesting contests lined up. For instance, former BJP minister Anupama Jaiswal is pitted against ex-SP minister Yasar Shah in Bahraich Sadar. Sitting BJP MLA Ved Prakash Gupta is up against ex-SP minister Tej Narayan ‘Pawan Pandey’ in Ayodhya Sadar. And in Amethi, it’s former MP Sanjay Sinh vs Maharaji Prajapati, wife of ex-SP minister Gayatri Prajapati.
Among others, Gaurav Verma, son of cabinet minister Mukut Bihari Verma, is in the fray in Kaiserganj. Prateek Bhusan Singh, son of BJP MP Brajbhusan Sharan Singh, is contesting from Gonda.
Congress leader PL Punia’s son Taunj Punia is contesting from Zaidpur in Barabanki district. Former SP minister Arvind Singh Gope is in the fray in Dariyabad in Barabanki. Two other ex-SP ministers Yogesh Pratap Singh and Fareed Mehfooz Kidwai are contesting from Colonelganj in Gonda and Ramnagar in Barabanki, respectively.
