Mobilenews24x7 Bureau
Lucknow, Feb 7 : Campaigning for the first phase of assembly elections in 58 seats in Uttar Pradesh’s western region has reached its peak with the political parties locking horns to beat one another. In most constituencies, there is a triangular contest between involving the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Samajwadi Party-Rashtriya Lok Dal (SP-RLD) alliance and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP). In some seats, the Congress is giving a fight. Leaders of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which rules neighbouring Delhi, too are campaigning in the region bordering the national capital.
The campaigning in the 58 seats covering 11 districts will end on Tuesday, ahead of polling due on February 10 between 7 am and 6 pm. With the Election Commission restricting public rallies, road shows and other common means of campaigning due to the pandemic, political leaders went for virtual rallies, road shows and door to door electioneering in this phase. The first phase which will cover the dominant Jat belt of western Uttar Pradesh which is also home to scores of Dalits,, minorities and other backward communities to decide the fate of 623 candidates in the fray.
Among the candidates, around 40 per cent are crorepatis. In 2017, the BJP won 53 of these 58 assembly segments while the SP and BSP won 2 seats each and the RLD one seat. This time, the BJP faces a big challenge to repeat its 2017 feat with the SP-RLD combination expected to dent its vote bank. The prolonged farmers agitation against the three farm laws — which the Centre subsequently withdrew — has emerged as a key issue for all political parties. Prime Minister Narendra Modi held several virtual ‘chaupals’ to address the voters while a battery of party leaders led by Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh besides Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath held public meetings. The BJP is harping on law and order, development and benefits to the farmers from its governance. The SP-RLD combination of Akhilesh Yadav and Jayant Choudhury are raking up the failures of the BJP government and announcing sops to the voters. BSP President Mayawati was a late comer to the electioneering. Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has held road shows and door-to-door campaigning in select pockets where she feels Congress candidates have a chance to win. AIMIM President Asauddin Owaisi, who was shot at last week while campaigning, has also fielded candidates in minority-dominated pockets. Two young men have been arrested over the shooting. The districts where polling will be held in the first phase are Shamli, Meerut, Muzaffarnagar, Baghpat, Meerut ,Hapur, Ghaziabad, Bulandshahr, Mathura, Agra and Aligarh. The assembly seats include Kairana, Shamli, Muzaffarnagar Khatauli, Meerut, Bhagpat, Loni, Ghaziabad, Modinagar, Hapur(SC), Garhmukteshwar, Noida, Bulandshahar, Khurja(SC), Aligarh, Mathura, Agra Cantt (SC), Fatehpur Sikri and Fatehabad.
