Phase -4: Polling for 13 LS seats in U.P. today, Akhilesh, Teni, Sakshi key contestants

The stage is set for polling in 13 Lok Sabha constituencies of Uttar Pradesh in the fourth phase of the parliamentary election on Monday.

These 13 Lok Sabha constituencies are Shahjahpur (SC), Kheri, Dhaurhara, Sitapur, Hardoi (SC), Mishrikh (SC), Unnao, Farrukhabad, Etawah (SC), Kannauj, Kanpur, Akbarpur, and Bahraich (SC). Once this round is completed, 39 of the 80 Lok Sabha seats will have voted in U.P. in four phases. The seven-phase poll will conclude on June 1 with the votes to be counted on June 4.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had won all 13 of the Phase-4 seats in 2019 and aims to retain its hold.

The Samajwadi Party (SP), which failed to win a single seat despite an alliance with the Bahujan Samaj Party back then, has now tied up with the Congress and aims to regain lost ground.

Going solo, the BSP is making the contest triangular on all the 13 seats.

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav is in the fray from Kannauj, which his wife Dimple Yadav had lost in 2019.

Union minister of state for home Ajay Kumar Mishra Teni is contesting from Kheri, former Union minister Ram Shankar Katheria from Etawah, the SP’s Annu Tandon from Unnao against the sitting BJP MP Sakshi Maharaj and BSP coordinator Bhim Rao Ambedkar from Hardoi.

The fourth phase constituencies extend from central Uttar Pradesh to parts of the Yadav belt in the west and Terai region in the North that touches the Nepal border. These 13 Lok Sabha constituencies were strongholds of the SP and the BSP before the lotus bloomed in the 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha elections amid the Modi wave.

An assembly bypoll will be held in Dadraul in Shahjhanpur district on Monday.

There are 130 candidates in the fray for these Lok Sabha constituencies.

OBC voters, including Yadavs, Lodhs, Shakyas, Sainis, Kacchis, Baghels, Pals, Nishad and Kurmis, as well as the Dalits, Jatavs and Pasis play a decisive role on seats in Central UP.

The Muslim vote is key in Sitapur, Kheri and Shahjahanpur and Dhaurhara.

A total of 2,47,47,027 voters -- 1,31,82,341 men, 1,15,63,739 women and 947 third gender – are eligible to exercise their franchise in the 13 Lok Sabha constituencies.

Ten candidates are contesting from Shahjahanpur Lok Sabha constituency, 11 from Kheri, 12 from Dhaurhara, 8 from Sitapur, 12 from Hardoi,9 from Mishrikh, 9 from Unnao, 8 from Farrukhabad, 7 from Etawah, 15 from Kannauj, 11 from Kanpur, 9 from Akbarpur and 10 from Bahraich.

Ten candidates are in fray for the Dadraul assembly bypoll.

The SP has redrawn its strategy by joining hands with Congress. The SP has fielded candidates on 11 seats and the Congress on two seats- Kanpur and Sitapur.

Though there are a large chunk of Dalit voters in 13 constituencies, the BSP has never won six of these seats -- Shahjahanpur, Kheri, Hardoi, Farrukhabad, Kannauj and Kanpur.

The BJP has retained 11 sitting MPs and fielded two new candidates Ramesh Awasthi from Kanpur and Anand Kumar from Bahraich.

SHAHJAHANPUR (SC)

Shahjahanpur is known as the land of freedom fighters. The BJP faces the challenge of retaining the seat that it won in 2014 and 2019. It has reposed faith in sitting MP Arun Kumar Sagar. The SP replaced its candidate Rajesh Kashyap with Jyotsana Gond. The BSP has fielded Dod Ram Verma. UP finance minister Suresh Kumar Khanna is the sitting MLA from Shahjahanpur. Khanna has launched a slew of projects in the constituency and is monitoring the party election campaign.

KHERI

The constituency was in the limelight in connection with the October 3, 2021 Lakhimpur Kheri violence case in which eight people, including four farmers were killed, Ashish Mishra, son of two-term BJP MP and Union minister Ajay Mishra Teni was the key accused. The BJP has fielded Teni again for a third term while the SP has nominated Utkarsh Verma after three-term MP Ravi Prakash Verma joined Congress. The BSP has fielded a Sikh candidate Anshya Kalra to cash in on the anger among the farmers.

DHAURHARA

The BJP has fielded two-term MP and party national vice president Rekha Verma while SP has chosen Anand Bhadouria, an upper caste Rajput and former students’ union leader of Lucknow University. He was a member of the state legislative council. The BSP has fielded a Brahmin candidate Shyam Kishore Awasthi.

SITAPUR

The BJP’s sitting MP Rajesh Verma is pitted against the Congress’s Rakesh Rathore and the BSP’s Mahendra Yadav. Both Rathore and Yadav defected from the BJP for the Lok Sabha ticket.

HARDOI (SC)

The BJP has retained sitting MP Jai Parkash Rawat while the SP has nominated former MP Usha Verma. The BSP has fielded former MLC Bhimrao Ambedkar.

MISRIKH (SC)

The BJP has chosen sitting MP Ashok Kumar Rawat against the SP’s Sangeeta Rajvanshi, a relative of the BJP MP. The SP changed its candidate four times before announcing Rajvanshi as its official candidate. The BSP has fielded BR Ahirwar.

UNNAO

Sitting BJP MP Swami Sakshi Maharaj is in the fray against former MP Anu Tandon, the SP candidate. The BSP has fielded Ashok Kumar Pandey, a Brahmin.

FARRUKHABAD

The BJP has reposed faith in sitting MP Mukesh Rajput and the SP nominated Naval Kishore Kashyap to win the support of non- Yadav OBCs. The BSP has fielded Brahmin candidate Kranti Pandey.

ETAWAH (SC)

The BJP has fielded former Union minister and sitting MP Ram Shankar Katheria against the SP’s Jitendra Dohare and the BSP’s Sarika Singh Baghel. Katheria won the Agra Lok Sabha seat in 2009 and 2014 and Etawah in 2019.

KANNAUJ

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav is contesting against sitting BJP MP Subrat Pathak who defeated his wife Dimple Yadav in 2019. The BSP has fielded Imran Bin Zafar.

KANPUR

The BJP replaced its sitting MP Satyadev Pachauri with Ramesh Awasthi while the Congress has fielded Alok Mishra. The BSP has chosen Kuldeep Bhadouria.

AKBARPUR

The BJP’s sitting MP Devendra Singh Bhole is vying for the third term and taking on the SP’s Raja Ram Pal and the BSP’s Rajesh Kumar Dwivedi.

BAHRAICH (SC)

The BJP has replaced sitting MP Akshaibair Lal Gond with his son Anand Gond, who is contesting against the SP’s Ramesh Gautam, a former MLA, and the BSP’s Brijesh Kumar Sonkar , a faculty in Lucknow University.