Uttar Pradesh, a key battleground state with the highest number of parliamentary seats in India, is gearing up for the first phase of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections scheduled for this Friday.
A total of eight constituencies—Pilibhit, Saharanpur, Kairana, Muzaffarnagar, Bijnor, Nagina, Moradabad, and Rampur—will see voters casting their ballots in this initial round.
The spotlight is particularly on the Pilibhit constituency where the BJP has nominated Jitin Prasada, a former Congress leader who switched to the BJP in 2021.
Prasada is set to contest against Samajwadi Party's Bhagwant Saran Gangwar and Bahujan Samaj Party's Anis Ahmed Khan. Pilibhit has been a stronghold for the BJP, with Feroze Varun Gandhi winning the seat in 2019 by a significant margin.
Rampur, another focal point, is considered a stronghold of the Samajwadi Party, which won the seat in the 2019 elections. This year, the BJP has fielded Ghanshyam Lodhi, the incumbent MP from a recent by-election, against INDIA bloc’s candidate Mohibullah Nadvi from the Samajwadi Party. The constituency holds particular interest due to its past electoral significance and the high-profile candidates involved.
In Moradabad, the electoral contest is between INDIA bloc candidate Ruchi Veera of the Samajwadi Party and BJP’s Kunwar Sarvesh Kumar Singh. This seat drew attention recently due to internal party dynamics within the Samajwadi Party, which ultimately nominated Ruchi Veera as its candidate.
As the campaigning concludes, key issues such as local development, governance, and national policies are driving the electoral debate. Both the BJP-led NDA and the opposition INDIA bloc have mobilised their senior leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, and opposition leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi, to rally support in these critical constituencies.
The 2019 elections saw the BJP and its allies secure a dominant victory in Uttar Pradesh, winning 64 of the 80 seats. This election season, all parties have intensified their efforts, hoping to sway the electorate in their favour.
With the stakes high, the outcome of these elections could significantly influence the political landscape of Uttar Pradesh and, by extension, the formation of the next government at the Centre. The results of the elections will be keenly awaited, with vote counting scheduled for June 4, following the completion of all seven phases of voting.
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