NEW DELHI: BJP replaces incumbent MP, facing off against Samajwadi Party’s strong contender.
Bareilly, is a historical town in India’s most populous state Uttar Pradesh. It has been a stronghold of the BJP, as incumbent MP Santosh Gangwar has won eight times from this seat. However, due to his age, the BJP has replaced him with a fresh face, Chhatrapal Gangwar. The Samajwadi Party, on the other hand, has fielded Praveen Singh Aron, who defeated Gangwar once in the 2009 elections, as a Congress candidate. Now Aron has joined the Samajwadi Party and is contesting on the SP ticket.
Chhatrapal Gangwar is a social worker, former minister of state for revenue of Uttar Pradesha who has been associated with the Sangh and Aron is social worker, philanthropist, and entrepreneur.
The BJP is leaving no stone unturned in retaining this seat. PM Modi had a road show on Friday with Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Santosh Gangwar too. He has also addressed a rally here before this roadshow. Addressing a public rally in Bareilly, PM Narendra Modi said, “This election is an election to completely free the country from the mentality of 1000 years of slavery. This election is an election that will give new heights to India’s self-respect.
The Bahujan Samaj Party’s candidate Chhotey Lal Gangwar’s nomination has been cancelled, which makes it a bipolar contest between the SP and BJP. There were reports of differences among the party workers after Santosh Gangwar was declined a ticket, but with intervention from the central leadership, it has been resolved. The unity amongst local BJP leaders could hurt Aron. The participation of locals in PM Modi’s roadshow has already pushed back SP candidate Aron to some extent, who has been talking about his victory in the media, still Aron claims that he would win with more than one lakh votes. It is indicated according to political analysts that he will get support from Muslim voters in the absence of a BSP candidate, the BJP is relying on the Modi-Yogi governance model.
If we talk about caste-wise demographics, the Muslim voters here constitute 35 percent, which means there are around 6.65 lakh Muslim voters. Despite the significant number of Muslim voters, their vote gets divided every time between the SP, BSP, and Congress, which is why Santosh Gangwar has been elected as a Member of Parliament for 8 terms.
Meanwhile, the Kurmi voters number around three lakh. This is why the BJP doesn’t want to take any risks and has once again nominated a Kurmi candidate. In Bareilly, Brahmin voters are also in a significant number, with around 2.5 lakh Brahmin voters, while Vaishya voters are around 1.5 lakh. Kshatriya voters are around 1.5 lakh as well. Thakur voters are one lakh. The number of SC voters is close to 2 lakh, and Lodhi voters are around 1.65 lakh, along with voters from other communities.
Shivam Singh Gangwar, a local resident of Bareilly, said, The election is to choose the government at the centre and we are happy with the direct benefit transfer schemes. He further added that yes, the absence of a BSP candidate has polarised Muslim voters for the Samajwadi Party, but at large, development schemes have the upper hand here in Bareilly.
Bareilly is known as Nath Nagri, showcasing its importance to the Nath tradition in Hinduism and the birthplace of Munsi Premchand, located 290 km from the national capital, New Delhi. It is also famous for its handicraft and production of musical instruments. All are set to vote in the third phase of the Lok Sabha elections on May 7.