Once a premier seat, political aspirations of many shades flower in Phulpur Lok Sabha constituency

The Phulpur Lok Sabha constituency near the Sangam (confluence of the Ganga, Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati) has been witness to the rise of contrasting political forces over the years and is seeing a triangular fight in 2024.

From being a Congress-socialist stronghold to the hub of regional forces, it went on to be won by the BJP twice in 2014 and 2019. This time, it votes in the sixth phase on May 25.

In its over seven-decade electoral history, it has seen the best of times and the worst of times and now yearns to be back in the limelight for the right reasons.

From being the country’s premier constituency when India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru won the seat in the 1952, 1957 and 1962 Lok Sabha elections (he represented it till his death in 1964), it touched a low in 2004 when gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed won the seat on the Samajwadi Party ticket. Atiq and his brother Khalid Azeem alias Ashraf, a former MLA, were shot dead in April 2023.

“Atiq Ahmed is the past. The Muslims have come out of his shadow. We want our constituency to be recognised for sending leaders like Jawaharlal Nehru, VP Singh and Vijaylakhsmi Pandit to the Lok Sabha,” says Haji Mohammad Hasnain Siddiqui, resident of Kaithana locality in Phulpur town, 31 km north of Prayagraj.

In 1962, socialist ideologue Ram Manohar Lohia filed his nomination against Nehru. Though Lohia lost the election, yet he sowed the seeds of the socialism in the constituency.

In the 1969 bypoll, Janeshwar Mishra, known as Chhote Lohia, contested the election on the Samyukta Socialist Party ticket and defeated Congress candidate Keshav Dev Malviya.

Decades later, the IFFCO fertilizer factory on the Phulpur- Jaunpur highway connects the constituency with the Nehru-Indira era, says Gopal Krishna Dwivedi, former vice- president of Allahabad district Congress Committee. The early 1990s saw the rise of Mandal politics in Uttar Pradesh and the Phulpur constituency did not remain untouched by caste politics. With the ascent of the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party, the caste calculus came into play. The Kurmis dominated the politics of Phulpur. In 1989 and 1991 Lok Sabha elections, Ram Pujan Patel won the seat on the Janata Dal ticket. Jang Bahadur Patel won the seat in 1996 and 1998 on the SP ticket. In 1999, Dharmraj Patel retained the seat for the SP.

The politics of Uttar Pradesh took a new turn when major parties failed to get a majority in the 2002 assembly election.

The relevance of defectors, smaller parties, muscle and money power increased. During that period, Phulpur was in the grip of anti-social elements involved in illicit liquor, gambling and weapon smuggling .

Over a decade later, the BJP won the Phulpur seat for the first time in 2014 when Keshav Prasad Maurya defeated Dharam Raj Singh Patel of the SP. Maurya vacated the seat after he was made deputy chief minister in 2017. The SP defeated the BJP in the 2018 bypoll but the BJP bounced back in 2019 as its candidate Keshari Devi Patel defeated her nearest rival Pandhari Yadav of the SP. Patel polled over 55 % votes.

Former Allahabad Students Union leader Sunil Dwivedi says the BJP has been able to make inroads into the non-Yadav OBC vote base of the SP and non-Jatav support base of the BSP in the constituency.

The BJP’s support base includes 13% OBC Kurmi voters, 12% Pasi Dalit voters, 20% upper castes -- Rajput, Brahmin Kayastha voters -- as well as extremely backward castes, including Pals, Baghels and Binds, besides Lonias, Vishawakarmas and Kasaudhans.

The SP is relying on the support of 12% Muslim and 10% Yadav voters.

In the 2024 Lok Sabha election, the BJP has replaced its sitting MP Keshari Devi Patel with Praveen Patel, the sitting MLA from Phulpur.

The SP has fielded Amarnath Maurya, who was earlier with the BSP. The BSP has fielded Jagannath Pal, an aide of party founder Kanshi Ram.

URBAN-RURAL DIVIDE

The urban-rural divide in the constituency is quite obvious as one moves from the posh Civil Lines area of Prayagraj city passing by the iconic Anand Bhawan that was once the centre of Congress politics, to Allahabad University once called Oxford of the East and Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology- a premier engineering college. The urban pockets of Prayagarj — Allahabad West and Allahabad North assembly segments — are part of the Phulpur constituency.

“Rather than Rae Bareli or Amethi, people should watch the political activities in Allahabad- Phulpur. If there is any rumbling for change in politics, it will start from here,” says Amod Srivastava, a political observer.

Professor MP Dubey, former head of the political science department at Allahabad University, says, “Today, caste factor dominates the politics of Phulpur. The SP, BSP and Congress are working on caste formula while the BJP is trying to consolidate its hold with politics of polarisation.”

The Indian Coffee House in the heart of Civil Lines is abuzz with political discussion just days before polling.

Bhaskar Tiwari, a former student of Allahabad University, says, “There is a straight contest between the NDA and INDIA bloc in Phulpur but keep a watch on BSP voters. In the 2019 Lok Sabha election, despite an alliance between the SP- BSP, a large chunk of the BSP vote shifted to the BJP, paving the way for a landslide victory. In the 2024 Lok Sabha election, the BSP is going solo. The NDA will not enjoy a big edge over the INDIA alliance,” he says.

Another student Shiv Kumar Verma says the Modi and Yogi factors are vote catchers for the BJP.

Meanwhile, preparations for the Kumbh-2025 are in full swing.

Roads are being widened, new water supply pipes are being laid, the drainage system is being cleaned, the railway station and public guest houses are undergoing renovation.

“The state government has made a big plan for the successful organization of the Kumbh, the construction of the expressway will not only benefit the local people but the people from across the state, it will give thrust to economic development and generate employment in the region,” says UP industrial development minister, Nand Gopal Gupta Nandi , MLA from Allahabad South.

A new market complex, modern offices, hotels, residential colonies, high-rise buildings and the new Yamuna bridge, the country’s longest cable-stayed bridge, dot the skyline of the city, eclipsing the old structures of the British period.

“During the Congress government , an industrial area was set up in Phulpur and ceramic units were set up. Later, the units closed down. Now, the BJP government is working for the revival of industries by allotting land to the new industrial area,” says Ashok Yadav an employee at the block office.

After crossing the bridge on the Ganga near Allahabad fort one enters Jhusi that leads to the rural hinterland of the Phulpur constituency spread across the fertile plains of the Ganga.

Chatnag village on the Ganga bank is dominated by Nishads, Kurmis and Yadavs. Gram pradhan Shiv Narayan Yadav says, “While the Kurmis and Nishads are rallying round the BJP, the Yadavs and Muslims are supporting the SP. Along with the core Dalit vote, the BSP is working to get the OBC and Muslim vote.”