The stage is set for bypolls on nine Assembly seats across Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Samajwadi Party (SP) are in a direct contest for all seats, while the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) aims to turn it into a triangular fight.
Polling will take place in constituencies like Ghaziabad, Khair, Meerapur, Kundarki, Karhal, Sisamau, Katehari, Majhawan, and Phulpur. Authorities have deployed tight security in sensitive areas. Although the bypolls may not significantly shift the political balance in the state, they will play a crucial role in shaping public perception.
Aggressive Campaigning by BJP and SP
Both the ruling BJP and the opposition SP have campaigned aggressively. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and senior BJP ministers have played an active role, while Akhilesh Yadav and his family led SP’s campaign. BSP’s state president Vishwanath Pal also ran an extensive campaign. Despite being part of the INDIA alliance, Congress refrained from fielding candidates or holding joint rallies with SP.
In Ghaziabad, BJP’s Sanjeev Sharma faces SP’s Singh Raj Jatav, with BSP fielding P. N. Garg. The seat became vacant after Atul Garg’s election as an MP. The contest here is mainly between BJP and SP.
Key Contests in Karhal, Katehari, and Kundarki
Karhal (Mainpuri) sees a high-stakes battle 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.
In Katehari, the seat fell vacant after Lalji Verma became an MP. His wife is the SP candidate, while BJP has fielded Dharmaraj Nishad and BSP has Amit Verma. This makes it a crucial contest.
The Kundarki seat, in BJP state president Bhupendra Chaudhary’s home district, has BJP’s Ramveer Thakur taking on SP’s Haji Rizwan. BSP’s Rafatullah and candidates from AIMIM and Azad Samaj Party make it a multi-cornered contest.
In Sisamau (Kanpur), SP’s Naseem Solanki, wife of convicted MLA Irfan Solanki, faces BJP’s Suresh Awasthi. Cabinet Ministers Suresh Khanna and Nitin Agarwal have campaigned intensively for BJP.
Khair (Aligarh) sees BJP’s Chaudhary Laxmi Narayan and RLD leader Jayant Chaudhary fight for a Jat-dominated seat.
From Phulpur in Prayagraj, 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 race.
Voting and Security Arrangements
Voting will take place from 7 AM to 5 PM across 3,718 polling stations and 1,917 booths. The Election Commission has deployed nine general observers, five police observers, and nine expenditure observers to oversee the process. Over 5,000 EVM control units and VVPAT machines have been deployed. Paramilitary forces are stationed to ensure a peaceful voting process in Uttar Pradesh.
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