Reportedly the upcoming by-election for the Phulpur assembly seat in Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj district is poised for a thrilling contest between the ruling nda and the opposition india bloc. nda ally Chirag Paswan’s Lok Janshakti party (LJP) has announced its decision to field a candidate, potentially upsetting the BJP’s calculations and offering an advantage to the Samajwadi party (SP). The nda is banking on highlighting the development initiatives of both the central and state governments. On the other hand, the opposition india bloc aims to leverage public discontent by focusing on perceived failures of these governments, particularly in addressing the issue of price rise.
Perhaps the constituency boasts a diverse electorate of over 400,000 voters, with OBCs, particularly the patel community, holding significant sway. The potential for Muslim vote consolidation further complicates the BJP’s path to victory. A total of 4,07,366 voters will elect their mla, including 2,23,560 male voters, 1,83,748 female voters, and 58 third-gender voters who will cast their ballots. Currently, three parties have announced their candidates. The BSP was first, declaring Shivbaran Pasi on august 16. The SP followed suit on october 9, nominating three-time mla Mohammad Mujtaba Siddiqui from the constituency. Chandrashekhar Azad’s azad Samaj party (Kanshi Ram) has also fielded shahid Akhtar Khan, although their impact is expected to be minimal given the SP’s Muslim candidate.
Moreover Rajiv Paswan, the Eastern Uttar Pradesh state president of Lok Janshakti party (Ram Vilas Paswan), which is part of the nda, has announced that it will field a scheduled caste candidate on the Phulpur seat soon. It has been considered by many political analysts that the LJP’s decision to field a scheduled caste candidate may play the role of “vote-cutter,” potentially impacting both the nda and india blocs.
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