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UP polls: It’s former Kanpur police commissioner Asim Arun vs three-time MLA in Kannauj Sadar
Uttar Pradesh assembly election 2022: Asim Arun, who took voluntary retirement from the Indian Police Service in January, is up against Samajwadi Party’s Anil Dohrey in Kannauj Sadar
Early in January this year, the then Kanpur police commissioner Asim Arun posted on social media his decision to quit the police force, which he had served for more than 25 years.
“I will devote myself to working for the SCs/STs (scheduled castes/scheduled tribes) and marginalised communities. I am joining the BJP that has done a lot for underprivileged and I will take that further,” he announced.
In less than a month, the BJP fielded him as its candidate from Kannauj Sadar, one of the toughest reserved constituencies and a Samajwadi Party stronghold. The SP has been holding on to this seat since 1996.
Many believe the BJP saw in Arun, his caste and his credentials a chance to repeat 2019. Three years ago, the BJP candidate had managed to defeat Dimple Yadav, the then Kannauj MP and wife of Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.
For a similar feat, albeit in the assembly poll arena, Arun has to break the traditional vote banks on a seat where backwards, Dalits and Muslims hold the key.
In his first election, Arun is up against three-time MLA Anil Dohrey, who has described him as an outsider and a political tourist. Dohrey strongly pushes the narrative as a contest between one (Arun) who was not with the people and someone (Dohrey) was always accessible.
“The BJP doesn’t believe in locals that is why it has brought in an outsider. The people want to get rid of the BJP this time. All the development has been done by SP. The BJP was there to claim credit. He (Arun) is not in the race,” Anil Dohrey says.
Arun is countering this with the help of a social media campaigns and short video messages released every day.
“My father was born and raised at Khair Nagar in Thatiya in Kannauj. Even when I was in service, I stayed close to my roots, my mother was deeply involved in social work. My wife and I were part of that,” he said.
“I am not an outsider. People are already comparing me and the rest positively and this is unnerving the opponents,” Arun said. His father Shri Ram Arun, a local, was the Uttar Pradesh director general of police (DGP) twice.
His sister Rashmi Arun is a senior Madhya Pradesh cadre IAS officer. Arun’s entry in a constituency with caste complexities hasn’t been easy.
The seat comprises 300 villages and has 4.27 lakh voters. Among them, there are 71,000 Dalits, 66,000 Muslims, 62,000 non-Yadav OBCs and 37,000 Yadavs.
Staying in a simple hotel room from where he is running his campaign, Arun sets out early in the morning with the target of visiting seven villages in the day.
His wife Jyotsana and two sons cover the other villages.
“We are trying to touch as many people as possible. We have a strong social media team in place,” he says.
On the campaign trail, he tells the voters he is a well-intentioned local guy.
“In the beginning, people were calling me commissioner sahab, I tell them I left the police officer in Kanpur, I am your Asim, your representative,” he says.At a small meeting in a village room, Arun says the law and order situation is better than before, giving an example of how a kidnapped boy was rescued by the police in just six hours. “Was it possible in the SP regime?” he asks.
Suddenly, Banwarilal Dohrey, who has contested seven elections and polled 97,000 votes in 2017 on the BJP ticket, saunters in. Arun leaves his chair in reverence and touches his feet. Banwarilal Dohrey tells the people everyone has to be united in ensuring his victory.
“His victory is everyone’s victory,” he says drawing nods.
Arun carries on talking about safety, respect and development of Kannauj. The former police officer has helmed the Uttar Pradesh ATS (Anti-Terrorist Squad), UP 112 with much success.
Kannauj goes to polls in the third phase on February 20.
