NEW DELHI: Political dynamics in Ghazipur and Chandauli: BSP’s sway, BJP’s strategy, and SP’s countermoves shape electoral battlegrounds in Uttar Pradesh.
Ghazipur, also known as ‘Lahuri Kashi’ (in the local dialect, ‘lahuri’ means small and similar to Kashi, the Ganga flows northward here as well), is an important town that lies in the districts of Purvanchal (eastern) Uttar Pradesh and has a very illustrious history. During British times, it was also famous for the cultivation of opium. Since 1952, this seat has seen members of Congress, Janata Dal, the Communist Party of India, independents, and the Bharatiya Janata Party’s candidates being elected as MPs.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Afzal Ansari won here on a Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) ticket, defeating the BJP’s prominent leader, Manoj Sinha. Afzal Ansari has now joined the Samajwadi Party (SP). The SP has declared him their candidate for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. While Manoj Sinha has assumed charge of Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, the BJP has fielded Paras Nath Rai, a teacher with long-standing ties to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and a close associate of LG Manoj Sinha, while BSP has fielded Umesh Singh. “In 2014, when Ghazipur elected BJP MP, Manoj Sinha, it resulted in the improvement of rail connectivity in the area, while little or no work has been done in the last five years,” said local Mukesh Singh. He asserted that the roads both in the city and on the outskirts are in poor condition. He expounded on Gadkari’s work in making expressways in the whole country, and the lackadaisical approach of the incumbent MP Afzal Ansari. He added that no new industry has come up and the SP-BSP coalition did not provide jobs either.
In a twist of electoral strategy, BSP candidate Ansari’s daughter has also entered the fray as an independent candidate, securing the ‘stick’ symbol for her candidacy. This symbol is notably associated with Rajbhar’s SBSP, potentially causing confusion among voters who may inadvertently vote for the’stick’ instead of the BJP’s ‘lotus’ symbol. To address this potential mix-up, the BJP has complained to the Election Commission, requesting that Ansari’s daughter be assigned a new symbol to avoid misleading Rajbhar voters.
The leader of the Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP), Om Prakash Rajbhar, is a prominent figure from Ghazipur and currently serves as the MLA for the Zahoorabad assembly segment. He is actively supporting the BJP candidate in Ghazipur, leveraging the significant Rajbhar community, which constitutes about 10% of the local population.
BJP candidate, Paras Nath Rai is enjoying support from both BJP star campaigners including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath who held rallies in Ghazipur and nearby areas on Saturday, and the RSS too. RSS volunteers are campaigning for Rai, who has a “clean image” in this district, in contrast to SP candidate Afzal Ansari, who happens to be the brother of gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari, who died in judicial custody on March 28 under suspicious circumstances.
The campaign of the BJP in Ghazipur is concentrated on Hindutva and the development works of PM Modi. The construction of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya is a significant element of their campaign, which resonates strongly with Hindu voters. To avenge the defeat in the 2019 elections, the BJP is trying to consolidate Hindu voters to counter the Muslim-Yadav consolidation, which has helped the BSP-SP alliance win this seat.
CHANDAULI
Situated adjacent to Varanasi, PM Modi’s constituency, Chandauli is also known as the Rice Bowl of Uttar Pradesh. The BJP has fielded Mahendra Nath Pandey as their candidate from here. Pandey, who has been a sitting MP since 2014, is a senior party leader and has previously served as a Union Minister as well. He is recognised for his contributions to local development initiatives. The SP has fielded Virendra Singh, a seasoned politician with a dynamic career across multiple parties, including the Congress and BSP. The BSP has fielded Satyendra Maurya.
The BJP is leveraging its development record and strong organisational network to maintain its dominance. The SP is banking on its social justice narrative and promises of inclusive development, while the BSP aims to mobilise its core support base with a focus on Dalit rights and welfare.
Brahmins, Yadavs, Dalits, and other backward classes are the main part of the population here. The BJP has traditionally enjoyed support from the upper castes and some sections of OBCs, while the SP and BSP have strong backing from Yadavs, Muslims and Dalits, respectively. The candidate selection by SP, a Kshatriya, is aimed at cutting into the BJP’s upper-caste vote bank and consolidating the OBC votes.
To boost Pandey’s campaign, Yogi Adityamath’s rally is scheduled while ministers from the state cabinet are campaigning for Pandey too. Akhilesh Yadav is also expected to address a rally in favour of SP candidate Virendra Singh. In the last election, Pandey only managed approximately thirteen thousand votes.
According to a resident, Shubham Yadav, the people were looking for a fresh candidate from the BJP as the incumbent MP is facing anti-incumbency. SP has changed the candidate, so it is expected that a tough and close contest will be held in Chandauli.