Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. (File Picture/PTI)
Of the 80 Lok Sabha Seats in UP, Lucknow, one of many strongholds of BJP since 1991, has all the time been related to illustrious personalities together with former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is hoping to register a hat-trick on the Lucknow seat this Lok Sabha election. Whether or not or not will he have the opportunity retain the seat, sustaining the 33-year-long legacy of Lucknow being a Bharatiya Janata Get together (BJP) stronghold stays to be seen. Folks, together with Muslims, hailing from the constituency mentioned Rajnath Singh is an enormous title and can proceed to win, regardless of who he contests in opposition to. Nonetheless, some individuals mentioned successful the Lucknow Lok Sabha Seat received’t be a cakewalk for the BJP stalwart because it’s for the primary time in historical past that an alliance candidate has been folded in opposition to him from this seat.
Of the overall 80 Lok Sabha Seats in Uttar Pradesh (UP), Lucknow Lok Sabha Seat, one of many strongholds of BJP since 1991, has all the time been related to illustrious personalities together with former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Vajpayee contested eight instances from right here, successful 5 instances and it’s the solely motive which fetched it an area title of ‘Atal Ji Ki Seat’ (Atal ji’s seat). Not solely this, the constituency holds significance for the Nehru-Gandhi household as Vijay Lakshmi Pandit, the sister of Jawaharlal Nehru, was the primary MP from right here. The Nehru household’s affect continued with Sheorajwati Nehru succeeding Vijay Lakshmi Pandit.
Within the 2024 Lok Sabha Polls, BJP has fielded Rajnath Singh for the third consecutive time whereas INDI alliance has made Ravidas Mehrotra its joint candidate. This would be the first time that the opposition has fielded its joint candidate in opposition to BJP on this seat and this has made the political battle on ‘Atal Ji Ki Seat’, all of the extra ferocious. Samajwadi Get together has fielded Ravidas Mehrotra, an INDIA bloc candidate who can be an SP MLA from Lucknow Central Meeting seat and Bahujan Samaj Get together (BSP) has fielded Sarvar Malik within the upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha elections. This has posed a contemporary problem earlier than BJP candidate Rajnath Singh, the sitting MP of Lucknow, to keep up the 33-year-old legacy of this being a BJP seat. Voting will happen in Lucknow on Might 20.
Regardless of the problem, individuals hailing from Lucknow got here out in help of the BJP stalwart, whereas calling him a real ‘Lakhnawi’. The locals say their help is all the time with Rajnath Singh and he’ll win with a victory margin of over 5 lakh votes. “He’s an enormous chief. There are a considerable variety of Sikhs and Muslims who’ve turned as much as help him. Regardless of who he contests in opposition to, he’ll win,” mentioned Sudhanshu Shukla, an area who joined Rajnath Singh’s roadshow as he filed his nomination as a BJP candidate from the Lucknow Lok Sabha Seat for 2024 Lok Sabha Polls on Monday.
Khursheed Alam, one other native who hails from Lucknow, mentioned he’s hopeful that Rajnath Singh’s victory margin this time would cross the mark of 5 lakh. “Lucknow Seat ek alag mijaaz ki seat hai (Lucknow is a seat of various temper). Right here individuals have all the time voted for a liberal chief, be it Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Lalji Tandon or Rajnath Singh. This time, too, we’ll vote for the BJP,” mentioned Alam.
Nonetheless, there have been few who mentioned that successful the Lucknow Lok Sabha Seat will not be going to be a cakewalk for Rajnath Singh, this time. “Certainly Rajnath ji has registered a thumping victory previously two Lok Sabha elections however this time the state of affairs is completely different. It’s for the primary time an alliance candidate has been fielded from Lucknow Lok Sabha Seat. This may actually carry down the victory margin for Rajnath ji,” mentioned Saurabh Shukla, a dealer who hails from Lucknow.
Caste Dynamics
Shashikant Pandey, a political analyst and HOD, Division of Political Science, Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar college, Lucknow, mentioned caste dynamics is one factor that makes Lucknow Lok Sabha seat completely different from others. The seat is extra of a basket of all castes and a mix of non secular affiliations. “In response to the elections held in 2019, there are a complete of 19.37 lakh voters right here, through which the variety of male voters is 11 lakh and the variety of feminine voters is greater than 9 lakh. Speaking in regards to the caste equations of Lucknow, about 71 % of the inhabitants right here is Hindu. Out of this, 18 % of the inhabitants is Rajput and Brahmin. Right here the inhabitants of the OBC neighborhood is 28 % and the variety of Muslim voters is eighteen %. Within the elections held within the yr 2022, BJP had received 3 out of 5 meeting seats,” mentioned Pandey.
The Wonderful Previous
Lucknow, traditionally a Congress stronghold, witnessed its political panorama evolve through the years. Vijay Lakshmi Pandit, sister of Jawaharlal Nehru, marked its political debut in 1952, adopted by a succession of Congress victories till 1967 when Anand Narayan Mulla, an unbiased Urdu poet, secured the seat. Sheela Kaul reclaimed it for Congress in 1971, succeeded by Hemwanti Nandan Bahuguna from the Janata Get together. Subsequently, the BJP emerged as a dominant power, with Atal Bihari Vajpayee serving as MP for a document 5 phrases from 1991 to 2004, solidifying BJP’s affect. Over 18 common elections, Congress received seven instances, whereas BJP triumphed on eight events, establishing a robust presence since Vajpayee’s tenure. Lucknow has remodeled right into a BJP bastion, reflecting the shifting political dynamics of the area.
Verify Lok Sabha Election 2024 Part 3 Schedule, Key Candidates And Constituencies At News18 Web site.
