Lucknow: Defections in politics can throw up strange coincidences.
All the main rivals in the Phulpur Lok Sabha constituency, from where the first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru was elected thrice, have a ‘BSP’ connection.
The BJP, which replaced its sitting MP Kesri Devi Patel, has fielded Praveen Patel, a BSP legislator from the Jhusi Assembly seat. The Samajwadi Party nominee Amarnath Maurya had also been associated with the BSP for a long time. The Mayawati-led BSP has fielded Jagannath Pal from the seat.
Interestingly, as both BJP and SP candidates were earlier associated with the BSP, they too, like the official BSP nominee, claim that they have support among the more than three lakh Dalit voters in the constituency.
Phulpur is considered to be a VIP seat as it has been the ‘karmbhoomi’ of Nehru who represented the constituency in 1951, 1957 and 1962.
After Nehru, his sister Vijay Lakshmi Pandit represented the segment in 1964 and 1967. Former prime minister Vishwanath Pratap Singh was an MP from here in 1971. Uttar Pradesh deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya had won from Phulpur in the 2014 LS polls but he resigned later.
Phulpur was also represented in the Lok Sabha by slain gangster-turned-politician Ateeq Ahmed.
"We have support from all sections of the society...Dalits are also with us. We are seeking votes in the name of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and on the basis of the developmental works undertaken by the government," said BJP nominee Praveen Patel.
The saffron party is banking heavily on the support of the Kurmi voters, who number around 3.5 lakh in the constituency. The Apna Dal (AD), a predominantly Kurmi outfit, wields considerable influence over the community voters and is an alliance partner of the BJP.
While a sizable chunk of Kurmis is expected to support the saffron party, the Muslims and Yadavs, who together number around 4.5 lakh, are likely to go with the I.N.D.I.A. nominee Amarnath Maurya.
BSP candidate Jagannath Pal banks on the Pal community voters, who number around one lakh in the constituency, besides the party’s traditional Dalit voters.
Of the five Assembly constituencies under the Phulpur LS seat, BJP won four seats in the 2022 Assembly polls while the SP managed to win one seat. Political experts say Phulpur is likely to witness a three-corner contest this time. Polling in Phulpur will be held on Saturday in the sixth phase of elections.