NEW DELHI: In 2019, the family feud between Akhilesh Yadav and his uncle Shivpal Yadav helped the BJP win the seat. The Yadav vote got divided.
Firozabad constituency is part of western Uttar Pradesh, identified as the stronghold of the Samajwadi Party (SP). The seat came into the limelight with the victory of the Samajwadi Party’s crown prince, Akhilesh Yadav, in the 2009 Lok Sabha elections. However, in the by-election held after Akhilesh vacated the seat, SP lost this seat to Congress’ veteran Bollywood actor-turned-politician candidate, Raj Babbar. Although in 2014 SP regained its fortress.
In 2019, the family feud between Akhilesh Yadav and his uncle Shivpal helped the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) win the seat. The traditional SP votes were divided between Shivpal Yadav, who got 91,869 votes, and his nephew Akshay Yadav, who polled 4,67,038 votes, losing to BJP candidate Chandra Sen Jadaun by 28,781. Jadaun polled 4,95,819 votes. The constituency witnessed a 60.03% voter turnout in 2019.
In 2024, political analysts anticipate a fierce battle between the BJP and the SP in the Lok Sabha. The competition in Firozabad has taken an intriguing turn, with the SP resolving internal conflicts, bringing both ‘Chacha’ (uncle) and ‘Bhatija’ (nephew) together on the same side again. This election sees Vishwadeep Singh representing the BJP, while the SP reaffirms its support for Akshay Yadav. Meanwhile, the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) has put forward Chaudhary Bashir as its candidate, adding another dimension to the electoral landscape.
Firozabad is known as “Suhag Nagari,” located on the Delhi-Kanpur highway. Firozabad was earlier a part of Agra but became a separate district in 1989. ‘Suhag Nagari’ consists of five assembly segments: Tundla, Jasrana, Firozabad, Shikohabad, and Sirsaganj. Three out of five constituencies voted in favour of the BJP, while the remaining two went to SP. However, in the 2020 assembly election, the results get reversed: the BJP won two seats while the SP won three, and the SP looks to continue its good work in this Lok Sabha election as well.
The demographic profile of Firozabad comprises 18.86 lakh voters. Yadavs are in the majority in Firozabad, at around 4 lakh in number, followed by Muslim voters, who account for 2.5 lakh voters. Rajputs constitute over 1.5 lakh, while the number of Brahmin voters is around 1 lakh. Political pundits who follow UP politics very closely said that, despite being a part of Yadav heartland, Firozabad had never been a cakewalk for the SP. On the other hand, the BJP gained ground in Firozabad and had won the last election; not only a chunk of Samajwadis core voters have also shifted towards the BJP, which makes the election even more interesting.
I.P. Singh, spokesperson of the SP, told The Sunday Guardian, “Today every section is suffering from the policies of the BJP, so we are confident of our victory.” Not only victory, but the Samajwadi Party will lead the nation at its Centre. In Uttar Pradesh, the issue of unemployment and stray animals is prominent, but the BJP is not addressing these issues, he said. Singh added that in this election, not only the opposition parties are fighting against the BJP, but the masses are with the opposition parties.