NEW DELHI: Triangular battle in Uttar Pradesh’s Amroha: Congress’ Danish Ali, BJP’s Kanwar Singh, and BSP’s Mujahid Hussain face off in tight contest.
Kunwar Danish Ali and Kanwar Singh once again face each other in Amroha after Danish defeated Kanwar in the 2019 elections. Former Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) member Danish Ali is this time fielded as an I.N.D.I.A bloc candidate from Congress, while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has fielded Kanwar Singh again and the BSP has fielded Mujahid Hussain, which has made a triangular contest in Amroha.
Danish Ali faced suspension from the BSP in December last year due to allegations of anti-party activities. Subsequently, he joined the Indian National Congress (INC). His prospects in the upcoming elections may be challenging compared to his 2019 victory. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the alliance between the Samajwadi Party (SP) and BSP consolidated Muslim votes, contributing to his win. However, during that election, the Congress candidate, Sachin Chaudhary, secured only 12,000 votes, which led to the forfeiture of his deposit. The Congress party, through Ali’s candidature, aims to break its nearly two-decade-long absence of electoral success in Amroha. Nonetheless, considering the party’s past election performances, this goal may prove to be a difficult feat for the Congress this time too.
According to locals in Amroha, Congress candidate Danish Ali may get some sympathy votes due to some derogatory comments made by BJP MP Ramesh Bidhuri in Parliament, but other than that, he has not worked much in his last tenure as MP, and most of the time he was not on the ground.
The BJP is in aggressive mode in Amroha this time, with prime minister Narendra Modi addressing a rally in Amroha on Friday. Speaking at the rally, the PM fiercely criticised the Congress and the SP, asserting that Uttar Pradesh has once again dismissed the prospect of a political partnership. He accused these parties of consistently targeting the beliefs of the people. He said, the opposition alliance continuously denigrates the Ram Mandir and Sanatana faiths.
PM Modi highlighted the campaign tactics of these parties, which he claims rely on nepotism, corruption, and appeasement. He specifically pointed out the Congress candidate’s reluctance to chant ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’ and emphasised the improvement in the sugarcane industry under the current government, contrasting it with the previous administration’s record. He lauded Amroha’s rich cultural heritage, particularly celebrating the recent recognition of the traditional ‘Dholak’ instrument with a Geographical Indication (GI) tag. He credited Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for promoting Amroha’s ‘Dholak’ globally through this recognition. In contrast to this, Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav addressed a joint press conference in Amroha in favour of Danish Ali.
According to locals in Amroha, Danish Ali has nothing to say about his work except for sympathy for being targeted during the winter session by a BJP MP. Also, BSP contesting alone will divide the Muslim and Dalit votes, while Kanwar Singh enjoys support from the Hindu voters. PM Modi and CM Yogi’s governance model of development and the Ram Temple being built have made a good equation for the BJP.