By Pradeep Kapoor
LUCKNOW: After debacle in 2024 Lok Sabha poll, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has staked his prestige in crucial by-elections on November 13 for nine assembly seats in the state. In the absence of Congress, it is going to fight between UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Samajwadi Party national President Akhilesh Yadav.
It would be worth mentioning here that NDA suffered huge loss in 2024 Lok Sabha polls when the number of seats in came down from 66 to 36..Out of these BJP won only 33. While on the other hand Samajwadi Party riding on the wave created by PDA (pichda, dalit and alpsangkhayak) formula of Akhilesh Yadav increased its tally to 43 to emerge as third largest party in Lok Sabha.
Now it is to be seen whether the setback for BJP and its leaders PM Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and UP CM Yogi Adityanath was a temporary affair and giving scope to recover or Samajwadi Party will lead due to its appeal to voters through PDA formula. There is going to be direct contest between PDA of NDA and PDA of Samajwadi Party which is evident from ticket distribution for nine seats.
While Samajwadi Party has given tickets to Pichda, dalit andalpsankhayak, BJP has also given ticket to it’s own PDA which mean pichda, dalit and aghda (upper caste) . BJP has given four tickets to OBCs, one dalit and three from upper caste.
It would be worth mentioning here that in 2022 assembly polls the SP won four of these seats Sisamau, Katehri, Karhal and Kundarki. BJP also won four seats Phulpur, Ghaziabad, Majhwan and Khair. The ninth seat Meerapur was won by RLD which was allied with the Samajwadi Party. Now RLD is with BJP.
Eight of nine assembly seats going to polls felt vacant after the MLAs we’re elected to Lok Sabha in 2024.while Sisamau was lying vacant after the disqualification of SP MLA Irfan Solanki. After realizing that it would be difficult to win the elections Congress Party announced that it would not field and candidate and would support candidates from INDIA partner Samajwadi Party.
After the worst performance in 2024 Lok Sabha polls when Party could not open account in Lok Sabha, Bahujan Samaj Party under the leadership of former chief minister Mayawati announced that her party would contest all the nine seats. It was quite evident in last Lok Sabha polls the presence of BSP candidates helped BJP and damaged Samajwadi Party candidates in certain constituencies.
Although BSP as a policy never contested by-elections but this time Mayawati held several review meetings with senior leaders about overhauling of the organisation Mayawati announced her decision to contest by-elections to test the ground.
Taking these elections very seriously, CM Yogi Adityanath appointed over a dozen ministers as incharge of these constituencies to monitor the campaign. Besides these ministers, senior party leaders and members from the Sangh Parivar have been deputed to these constituencies.
CM Yogi Adityanath has asked the ministers and party workers to tell the voters about work done by the state and central government for welfare through different schemes. CM Yogi Adityanath himself is visiting the districts going to polls and addressing the meetings and holding interaction with local leaders.
On the other hand, enthused by the success in Lok Sabha polls, Akhilesh Yadav is busy in giving message to voters about his formula of PDA and highlighting deterioration in law and order situation, police atrocities, custodial deaths.
Akhilesh Yadav has given responsibility to his wife Dimple Yadav MP to campaign for cousin brother Tej Pratap Yadav in Karhal assembly seat considered to be pocket burrow of Yadav family. The seat was vacated by Akhilesh Yadav who got elected to Lok Sabha in 2024.
Akhilesh Yadav has also taken these elections as personal challenge that is why he has deputed entire family besides senior leaders to campaign for party leaders. He is mobilising all resources to ensure victory of party candidates.
How presence of BSP and Azad Samaj Party of Chandra Shekhar Azad will impact the dalit voters is yet to be seen. Although Congress has not fielded any candidate but senior leaders are likely to campaign for Samajwadi Party candidates. Considering these by-elections as run up for general Assembly elections in 2027 CM Yogi Adityanath and Akhilesh Yadav are not leaving any chance. (IPA Service)