May 12 will see some of Uttar Pradesh’s most diverse constituencies go to polls. These include Ambedkar Nagar, Allahabad, Azamgarh and Phulpur. Let us examine the electoral landscape in each of these constituencies.
Ambedkar Nagar
Best known for being the home of socialist leader Ram Manohar Lohia, Ambedkar Nagar (called Akbarpur before delimitation in 2008) is also the constituency from here Mayawati won four times. Interestingly, the BSP supremo recently remarked that if she were to become Prime Minister, she would contest from this seat. “If all goes well, I may have to seek election form here because the road to national politics passes through Ambedkar Nagar,” she had said recently.
According to census data, 16. 75 per cent of the population identifies as Muslim. Also, 24.7 per cent Ambedkar Nagar’s population comprises people from different Scheduled Castes. These include Jatav, Dhobi and Pasi communities. There is also a significant population of Kurmis, Baniyas and Yadavs.
Once a BSP bastion, it was only in 2014 that BJP was able to open its account here with Hari Om Pandey’s victory. But the BJP denied a ticket to Pandey and has instead fielded Mukut Bihari Verma. Meanwhile the BSP has fielded Ritesh Pandey. Interestingly, the INC had fielded Ummed Singh Nishad, widower of dacoit turned politician Phoolan Devi, but his nomination was cancelled.
Allahabad:
The Allahabad constituency covers the assembly segments of Meja, Karacchana, Bara, Koraon and Allahabad South, all of which fall within the district of Allahabad (now renamed Prayagraj) which is the most densely populated district in the state. This constituency has elected stalwarts like Lal Bahadur Shastri, VP Singh, Amitabh Bachchan and Murli Manohar Joshi.
But in a twist of fate, the BJP candidate Dr. Rita Bahuguna Joshi was previously with the INC, while the Congress candidate Yogesh Shukla is ex-BJP. Interestingly, the sitting BJP MP sc Gupta also switched sides and is now contesting from Banda on an SP ticket! In Allahabad, the SP has fielded Rajendra Singh Patel while MB Nath Valmiki is the AAP candidate.
According to census data, while 22 per cent of the population belongs to Scheduled Castes, 13.38 per cent identify as Muslim.
Phulpur:
Allahabad’s twin Phulpur is the constituency of Pt Jawaharlal Nehru. The seat was also held by his sister Vijaya Laxmi Pandit. Phulpur includes five assembly segments namely, Allahabad North, Allahabad West, Soraon, Phaphamau and Phulpur, all of which are a part of Allahabad district.
Once a Congress bastion, it switched allegiance to the Samajwadi Party, though in 2014 the seat was won by the BJP. Keshav Prasad Maurya held charge till March 2017, when he was named the Dy CM of UP. In the 2018 by-polls the Samajwadi Party won the seat back. The incumbent is Nagendra Pratap Singh Patel of the SP. The BJP has fielded Kaushalendra Singh Patel, while Manish Mishra is the Congress candidate.
Azamgarh:
Azamgarh is one of UP’s most diverse constituencies. According to census data, 25.4 per cent of the population belongs to Scheduled Castes. These include people from Jatav, Pasi and Dhobi communities. 15.58 per cent of the population also identify as Muslim. It is the Yadav, Dalit and Muslim voters who have formed the electoral backbone of parties like the SP and BSP, and are expected to have an impact on the Mahagathbandhan’s fortunes in this election.
Azamgarh parliamentary constituency covers the assembly segments of Gopalpur, Sagri, Mubarakpur, Mehnagar and Azamgarh. This constituency has changed hands between the INC, the BSP and the SP. Sitting MP Mulayam Singh Yadav is a former Chief Minister as is his son Akhilesh who is contesting from this constituency. The BJP has fielded Dinesh Lal Yadav ‘Nirahua’, a Bhojpuri movie star.