UP bypolls: Will lotus bloom again in Phulpur?

The prestigious Phulpur constituency is poised for a direct contest between two former MLAs – Deepak Patel of BJP and Mohd Mujtaba Siddiqui of the Samajwadi Party.
While the BJP is seeking to consolidate its hold by playing the Hindutva card to register a hat-trick in the constituency, the Samajwadi Party is leaving no stone unturned to win the seat while riding on PDA (pichhda, dalit, alpsankhyak) plank.
District unit of SP is highlighting inflation, unemployment and poor law and order to connect with the masses. Though the contest is by and large bipolar, there are 10 more candidates in the fray, including those from the Bahujan Samaj Party and Azad Samaj Party Kanshiram.
Hindutva Pitch
The BJP has raised the Hindutva pitch to blunt the SP’s PDA narrative and keep Hindu vote bank intact.During his recent public meeting in Phulpur, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath attacked the Samajwadi Party mainly on two issues – its connection with mafia and criminals, and “mismanagement of Kumbh Mela in 2007 and 2013”.
“SP president Akhilesh Yadav is the CEO of PDA which stands for ‘production house of dangai (rioters) and apradhi (criminals). Notorious criminals like Atiq Ahmed (Prayagraj), Mukhtar Ansari (Ghazipur), and Khan Mubarak (Ambedkarnagar) were products of SP’s production house.”
He also cited the murders of two MLAs – BJP’s Krishnanand Rai and BSP’s Raju Pal – during the SP govt. Highlighting the importance of Prayagraj and Kumbh, Yogi said that 2019 Kumbh Mela set the new standard of grandeur and sanctity.
“Anarchy and disorder prevailed during the 2007 and 2013 Kumbh. The 2019 Kumbh was orderly, secure, and well-managed,” he said. Speaking on poll preparations, BJP spokesman Rajesh Kesarwani says, “The party has galvanised its cadre by holding booth sammelans to activate booth workers to connect with voters. We are conducting door-to-door campaigns and highlighting BJP govt’s achievements and policies.” Kesarwani adds that the party has roped in a team of 130 dedicated workers (13 ‘jamsampark tolis’, each of 10 members) to cover all eligible voters ahead of polling.
The functionaries of INDIA bloc – the Congress and the Samajwadi Party – have started joint campaigning to connect with voters. SP district spokesman Daan Bahadur says, “INDIA bloc candidate is striving hard to register victory in bypoll. We are connecting with voters under a planned strategy and exposing anti-people policies of the BJP-led state and central govts.”
Caste Calculations
Unquestionably, caste has been a major factor which decides the fate of candidates in this rural assembly constituency. Members of Scheduled Castes (around 75,000), Yadavs (70,000), Patels (60,000), Muslims (50,000) and Brahmins (45,000) are numerically significant in Phulpur.
At the ground level, unemployment is a major issue for voters but when it comes to extending support to parties in elections, caste factor weighs heavy on their minds.
Farmers and BJP supporters MK Tiwari and HK Singh believe that under Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, the country and state are progressing to new heights, and only BJP can ensure development. VK Yadav, an SP supporter, says, “The current govt has failed to address the issues of inflation and unemployment”.
However, a considerable number of voters, especially Mauryas, are keeping cards close to their chest.