NDA, INDIA bloc to lock horns across nine seats in UP bypolls tomorrow

Lucknow, Nov 19 (IANS) The stage is set for the bypolls on nine Assembly seats across Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday with Bharatiya Janata Party and Samajwadi Party in direct contest on all seats. However, Bahujan Samaj Party has made every effort to turn it into a triangular fight.

Polling will be conducted in constituencies such as Ghaziabad, Khair, Meerapur, Kundarki, Karhal, Sisamau, Katehari, Majhawan, and Phulpur. Tight security measures have been put in place in sensitive areas. Though the by-elections may not significantly alter the political equation in the state, they hold considerable importance in shaping public perception.

Both the ruling BJP and the opposition SP engaged in aggressive campaigning for the bypolls with active involvement of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and senior BJP ministers, while Akhilesh Yadav and his family spearheaded the party’s campaign. The BSP, under its state president Vishwanath Pal, also carried out extensive campaigning. However, Congress, despite being a part of the INDIA bloc, refrained from fielding candidates and did not hold any joint rallies with SP.

In Ghaziabad, BJP’s Sanjeev Sharma faces SP’s Singh Raj Jatav, with BSP fielding P. N. Garg. This seat became vacant after Atul Garg was elected as an MP. The main battle here is expected between BJP and SP.

In Karhal (Mainpuri), a high-stakes battle unfolds in the SP stronghold. SP’s Tej Pratap Yadav, grandson of Mulayam Singh Yadav, faces BJP’s Anujesh Pratap Singh Yadav, a relative of the same family. This contest has drawn considerable attention due to its familial connections.

The Katehari seat fell vacant after Lalji Verma’s elevation to MP. His wife is the SP candidate, while BJP has fielded Dharmaraj Nishad and BSP has put forward Amit Verma, making it another crucial contest.

Kundarki Assembly seat is in BJP state president Bhupendra Chaudhary’s home district. Here BJP’s Ramveer Thakur is taking on SP’s Haji Rizwan. BSP’s Rafatullah and candidates from AIMIM and Azad Samaj Party further make it a multi-cornered contest.

BJP’s Suchismita Maurya from Majhawan (Mirzapur) is up against SP’s Dr Jyoti Bind, whose father, Ramesh Bind, held this seat three times. The influence of Union Minister Anupriya Patel and her husband, Ashish Patel, will also be tested here.

Following MLA Irfan Solanki’s conviction, his wife, Naseem Solanki, is SP’s candidate against BJP’s Suresh Awasthi from Sisamau (Kanpur). Cabinet Ministers Suresh Khanna and Nitin Agarwal have campaigned intensively for BJP here.

In Khair (Aligarh), BJP’s Chaudhary Laxmi Narayan and RLD leader Jayant Chaudhary face a litmus test in this Jat-dominated seat.

From Prayagraj’s Phulpur, BJP’s Deepak Patel, son of former MP Keshari Devi Patel, faces SP’s Mujtaba Siddiqui and BSP’s Jitendra Kumar Singh in a multi-cornered contest.

Meerapur in Muzaffarnagar, once an RLD stronghold is witnessing BJP’s Mithlesh Pal slug it out with SP’s Sumbul Rana.

Voting will take place from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. across 3,718 polling stations and 1,917 booths in the state on Wednesday. The Election Commission has ensured tight security with nine general observers, five police observers, and nine expenditure observers overseeing the process. Over 5,000 EVM control units and VVPAT machines have been deployed. Adequate paramilitary forces have been stationed to ensure a peaceful voting process.

–IANS

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