|
Amethi,
Feb
12:
Traditional
rivals
BJP
and
Congress
are
relying
on
“borrowed” players
in
the
battle
for
Amethi,
the
bastion
of
the
Gandhi
family
which
the
saffron
party
has
demolished
now.
The
BJP
has
fielded
veteran
Congress
leader
Sanjay
Sinh,
who
crossed
over
from
the
grand
old
party
to
the
saffron
camp
in
2019,
while
the
Congress
has
nominated
turncoat
Ashish
Shukla
from
the
assembly
seat
which
will
go
to
polls
on
February
27
in
the
fifth
of
the
seven
phase
Uttar
Pradesh
elections.
Starting
with
the
Bahujan
Samaj
Party
(BSP),
Shukla
had
shifted
to
the
BJP
in
2017
and
has
now
left
it
for
the
Congress.
Moments
after
the
announcement
of
Sinh’s
candidature,
Shukla
was
inducted
into
the
Congress
in
Delhi
and
was
immediately
named
as
its
nominee
from
the
high-profile
seat
that
continues
to
draw
the
nation’s
attention
due
to
its
association
with
the
Gandhi
family
since
the
days
of
Indira
Gandhi.
Without
losing
any
time,
Sinh
and
Shukla
swore
their
loyalty
to
their
respective
new
parties
and
are
reaching
out
to
voters
with
their
parties’ manifestos.
But,
in
the
fight
between
the
BJP
and
the
Congress,
the
Akhilesh
Yadav-led
Samajwadi
Party
(SP)
has
fielded
life
convict
Gayatri
Prajapati’s
wife
for
the
Amethi
assembly
seat.
Mayawati’s
BSP
has
chosen
Ragini
Tiwari
as
part
of
its
old
social
engineering
formula
of
Dalits-Brahmins,
threatening
to
make
the
contest
a
multi-corner
one.
The
fight
for
Amethi
started
in
the
2014
Lok
Sabha
elections
when
Union
Minister
and
BJP
leader
Smriti
Irani
challenged
former
Congress
chief
Rahul
Gandhi.
Though
she
lost
in
2014,
Irani
avenged
her
defeat
by
trouncing
Rahul
Gandhi
in
the
2019
Lok
Sabha
polls.
The
script
of
the
last
parliamentary
poll
upset
was
written
by
the
BJP
in
the
2017
assembly
elections
again
when
it
won
four
out
of
the
five
assembly
seats
in
the
Amethi
Lok
Sabha
segment.
The
Gauriganj
seat
had
gone
to
the
SP
then,
while
the
Congress
drew
a
blank
in
2017.
The
Amethi
Lok
Sabha
seat
comprises
five
assembly
constituencies-
Amethi,
Gauriganj,
Jagdishpur
(SC
reserved)
and
Tiloi
and
Salon
(located
in
neighbouring
Rae
Bareli
district).
Amethi
is
no
more
a
bastion
(of
the
Congress),
said
Sinh,
in
whose
favour
the
BJP
settled
a
family
feud
for
a
poll
ticket
between
his
first
wife
and
BJP
MLA
Garima
Singh
and
his
second
wife
and
badminton
player
Amita
Singh,
who
switched
over
to
the
party
along
with
her
husband.
“It’s
neither
any
longer
a
‘gadh’
(fort)
nor
any
the
‘gadhwale’ is
seen
here,”
he
said
mockingly
while
campaigning.
Sinh
is
reaching
out
to
the
people
on
the
basis
of
the
development
works
done
by
Prime
Minister
Narendra
Modi,
Chief
Minister
Yogi
Adityanath
and
Union
Minister
and
Amethi
MP
Smriti
Irani.
Congress
candidate
Shukla,
who
had
once
fought
against
Rahul
Gandhi
in
a
parliamentary
election
from
Amethi
and
bagged
over
one
lakh
votes,
is
canvassing
on
the
basis
of
Priyanka
Gandhi
Vadra’s
“Ladki
Hun,
Lad
Sakti
Hoon”
campaign
and
the
promises
made
by
the
party
in
its
manifesto.
For
SP
nominee
Maharaji
Prajapati
and
her
son
and
two
daughters,
the
fight
is
to
get
justice
for
her
husband
Gayatri
Prajapati,
a
minister
in
the
earlier
SP
government,
who
is
serving
life
sentence
in
a
case
of
gangrape
of
a
minor
girl.
“It’s
all
false…my
father
was
implicated
in
the
case
as
part
of
a
conspiracy,”
said
Anil
Prajapati,
who
is
overseeing
his
mother’s
campaigning.
Prajapati’s
daughters
Ankita
Prajapati
and
Sudha
Praapati
are
taking
the
help
of
social
media
to
seek
justice
for
their
jailed
father.
Meanwhile,
BSP’s
Tiwari
is
banking
on
the
huge
Brahmin
vote
as
well
as
the
base
vote
of
Mayawati
among
Dalits,
to
propel
her
to
victory.
According
to
sources
in
different
political
parties,
the
Amethi
assembly
seat
has
over
3.48
lakh
electors.
Out
of
this
Brahmins
are
80,000,
Thakurs
around
30,000,
Muslims
25,000,
Dalits
30,000
and
Other
Backward
Class
nearly
1.25
lakh.
While
Sinh
is
a
Thakur,
Congress
nominee
Shukla
and
BSP
contestant
Tiwari
are
Brahmins.
SP’s
Maharaji
Prajapati
is
from
the
OBC.
Rajesh
Agrahi,
a
powerful
local
BJP
leader
who
is
also
Smriti
Irani’s
constituency
representative,
told
PTI,
“Neither
Rahul
Gandhi
has
any
taker
among
people
nor
any
caste
factor
will
work
here”.
“Only
‘Modi-Yogi’
chant
is
on
the
lips
of
every
poor
who
are
availing
free
ration
and
health
benefits
being
provided
by
the
double
engine
government,
among
others,
without
any
discrimination,” Agrahi,
who
himself
was
a
strong
contender
for
the
poll
ticket,
said.
College
going
girls,
Sadhna
and
Priti,
say
Priyanka
Gandhi’s
“Ladki
hoon…”
catchline
has
no
effect
among
the
people.
“Shall
we
study
or
fight
the
goondas?”
Priti,
a
resident
of
Jayash
locality
said.
Jang
Bahadur
Singh,
Loknath
Yadav
and
Ram
Bahadur
Yadav
of
Pandeypur
bazar,
said
they
would
vote
only
for
those
who
promise
to
do
development
work
in
the
area.
Pitardeen
Shukla
and
Binod
Kumar
Shukla
of
Madhavpur
village
in
Gauriganj
said
“(Muhammad
Ali)
Jinnah
and
Pakistan
will
not
provide
them
‘roji-roti’
(livelihood).
We
need
somebody
who
does
development
work
in
the
area.”
District
Congress
president
Prashant
Tripathi
and
his
colleagues
Anupam
Pandey
and
Anil
Singh
highlighted
the
setting
up
of
the
Petroleum
Institute,
CRPF
training
camp
and
seven
NHs
by
the
Congress
in
Amethi.
BJP
district
unit
president
Durgesh
Tripathi
said
“Rahul
Gandhi’s
development
could
be
understood
from
the
fact
that
there
was
no
CT-Scan
facility
in
Gauriganj
during
his
time
while
Smriti
ji
has
got
nine
oxygen
plants,
an
over-bridge
to
decongest
traffic
rush
among
others.
PTI
Story first published: Saturday, February 12, 2022, 12:50 [IST]
For Quick Alerts Subscribe Now For Quick Alerts ALLOW NOTIFICATIONS | Published: Saturday, February 12, 2022, 12:50 [IST] Amethi, Feb 12: Traditional rivals BJP and Congress are relying on “borrowed” players in the battle for Amethi, the bastion of the Gandhi family which the saffron party has demolished now. The BJP has fielded veteran Congress leader Sanjay Sinh, who crossed over from the grand old party to the saffron camp in 2019, while the Congress has nominated turncoat Ashish Shukla from the assembly seat which will go to polls on February 27 in the fifth of the seven phase Uttar Pradesh elections. Starting with the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Shukla had shifted to the BJP in 2017 and has now left it for the Congress. Moments after the announcement of Sinh’s candidature, Shukla was inducted into the Congress in Delhi and was immediately named as its nominee from the high-profile seat that continues to draw the nation’s attention due to its association with the Gandhi family since the days of Indira Gandhi. Without losing any time, Sinh and Shukla swore their loyalty to their respective new parties and are reaching out to voters with their parties’ manifestos. But, in the fight between the BJP and the Congress, the Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party (SP) has fielded life convict Gayatri Prajapati’s wife for the Amethi assembly seat. Mayawati’s BSP has chosen Ragini Tiwari as part of its old social engineering formula of Dalits-Brahmins, threatening to make the contest a multi-corner one. The fight for Amethi started in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections when Union Minister and BJP leader Smriti Irani challenged former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi. Though she lost in 2014, Irani avenged her defeat by trouncing Rahul Gandhi in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. The script of the last parliamentary poll upset was written by the BJP in the 2017 assembly elections again when it won four out of the five assembly seats in the Amethi Lok Sabha segment. The Gauriganj seat had gone to the SP then, while the Congress drew a blank in 2017. The Amethi Lok Sabha seat comprises five assembly constituencies- Amethi, Gauriganj, Jagdishpur (SC reserved) and Tiloi and Salon (located in neighbouring Rae Bareli district). Amethi is no more a bastion (of the Congress), said Sinh, in whose favour the BJP settled a family feud for a poll ticket between his first wife and BJP MLA Garima Singh and his second wife and badminton player Amita Singh, who switched over to the party along with her husband. “It’s neither any longer a ‘gadh’ (fort) nor any the ‘gadhwale’ is seen here,” he said mockingly while campaigning. Sinh is reaching out to the people on the basis of the development works done by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Union Minister and Amethi MP Smriti Irani. Congress candidate Shukla, who had once fought against Rahul Gandhi in a parliamentary election from Amethi and bagged over one lakh votes, is canvassing on the basis of Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s “Ladki Hun, Lad Sakti Hoon” campaign and the promises made by the party in its manifesto. For SP nominee Maharaji Prajapati and her son and two daughters, the fight is to get justice for her husband Gayatri Prajapati, a minister in the earlier SP government, who is serving life sentence in a case of gangrape of a minor girl. “It’s all false…my father was implicated in the case as part of a conspiracy,” said Anil Prajapati, who is overseeing his mother’s campaigning. Prajapati’s daughters Ankita Prajapati and Sudha Praapati are taking the help of social media to seek justice for their jailed father. Meanwhile, BSP’s Tiwari is banking on the huge Brahmin vote as well as the base vote of Mayawati among Dalits, to propel her to victory. According to sources in different political parties, the Amethi assembly seat has over 3.48 lakh electors. Out of this Brahmins are 80,000, Thakurs around 30,000, Muslims 25,000, Dalits 30,000 and Other Backward Class nearly 1.25 lakh. While Sinh is a Thakur, Congress nominee Shukla and BSP contestant Tiwari are Brahmins. SP’s Maharaji Prajapati is from the OBC. Rajesh Agrahi, a powerful local BJP leader who is also Smriti Irani’s constituency representative, told PTI, “Neither Rahul Gandhi has any taker among people nor any caste factor will work here”. “Only ‘Modi-Yogi’ chant is on the lips of every poor who are availing free ration and health benefits being provided by the double engine government, among others, without any discrimination,” Agrahi, who himself was a strong contender for the poll ticket, said. College going girls, Sadhna and Priti, say Priyanka Gandhi’s “Ladki hoon…” catchline has no effect among the people. “Shall we study or fight the goondas?” Priti, a resident of Jayash locality said. Jang Bahadur Singh, Loknath Yadav and Ram Bahadur Yadav of Pandeypur bazar, said they would vote only for those who promise to do development work in the area. Pitardeen Shukla and Binod Kumar Shukla of Madhavpur village in Gauriganj said “(Muhammad Ali) Jinnah and Pakistan will not provide them ‘roji-roti’ (livelihood). We need somebody who does development work in the area.” District Congress president Prashant Tripathi and his colleagues Anupam Pandey and Anil Singh highlighted the setting up of the Petroleum Institute, CRPF training camp and seven NHs by the Congress in Amethi. BJP district unit president Durgesh Tripathi said “Rahul Gandhi’s development could be understood from the fact that there was no CT-Scan facility in Gauriganj during his time while Smriti ji has got nine oxygen plants, an over-bridge to decongest traffic rush among others. PTI Story first published: Saturday, February 12, 2022, 12:50 [IST]