By-elections will be held on Wednesday in nine assembly seats in Uttar Pradesh. This fight for 9 seats has become Yogi vs Akhilesh, which is considered the semi-final of the upcoming assembly elections. In such a situation, both leaders have laid all emphasis on the by-elections. The UP byelections are a battle of nose for some, while for others it is a battle of credibility.
It is said that this is the semi-final of 2027, which will decide the path to the throne of power in UP. This is the pre-test for the next CM of UP, where there is a close fight between Yogi Adityanath and Akhilesh.
The issue is not just the by-elections for nine seats, the issue is not just the victory and defeat of the candidates. The direct challenge is between Yogi Adityanath and Akhilesh Yadav and the focus is on Lucknow’s victory in 2027. This is proof of Yogi Adityanath’s Bante to Katenge slogan, which started in UP and is being used in Jharkhand and Maharashtra after from Haryana.
Akhilesh’s ‘PDA’ test
This fight is also about Akhilesh Yadav’s PDA ticket, on the basis of which Akhilesh Yadav won more seats in UP than the BJP in the Lok Sabha elections. If this experiment is successful in the by-elections, politics will advance along these lines until 2027. There is competition among 90 candidates for nine seats in the assembly by-elections. There is a triangular contest between BJP-SP and BSP for the nine seats, but the direct contest is between BJP and SP. If we talk about 2022 elections with 9 seats, then Samajwadi Party has 4 seats out of 9 seats. While the NDA has five seats, the BJP has three seats and the allies have two seats.
Caste factors were taken into account
While Akhilesh has played the Muslim card in ticket distribution, the BJP has gone for the OBCs. BJP has fielded maximum 5 OBC candidates. While one is Dalit and three are upper caste. The BJP has not given any ticket to Muslim. While the Samajwadi Party has fielded a maximum of 4 Muslim candidates. Apart from this, there are 3 OBC candidates, 2 Dalit candidates, while not a single ticket has been given to the upper caste.
Nobody left any stone unturned in the election campaign
It is clear that in the OBC caste census, where the opposition is cornering the BJP, the BJP has staked its claim, while Akhilesh is seen trying to balance the PDA. The election results will decide the political condition and course of the 2027 assembly elections in UP. This is the reason why, be it the SP chief or Yogi, the UP government chief, both left no stone unturned in the campaign.
Also Read: UP by-elections: Tough fight between SP-BJP in Katehri, credibility of Swatrantdev Singh and Shivpal Yadav at stake.
Star activist standing in the field
How tough the fight is can be gauged from the fact that Yogi has held 15 rallies in the last 5 days. While Akhilesh has held 14 meetings. The Yogi government fielded Team 30 out of 30 government ministers in nine seats. Deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya also addressed an election meeting in each of the nine seats. All his emphasis has been on the Phulpur and Majhwan seats. Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak also held a rally for each of the nine by-election seats. Akhilesh’s wife Dimple Yadav was in charge of Mainpuri’s Karhal headquarters. Uncle Shivpal Yadav stood firm in his fight.
This is the first time that Akhilesh Yadav, while in the opposition, has held rallies to contest one seat each in the by-elections. Akhilesh Yadav has campaigned three times in Karhal assembly constituency in support of SP candidate Tej Pratap Yadav. I once did a tour and an election rally. Earlier, Akhilesh had not campaigned in the by-elections in seats like Azamgarh and Rampur. Which tells us that this time Akhilesh Yadav has also put in all his strength.
The fate of leaders depends on the voters.
It is clear that both sides have done everything they can. Now voters have to decide who they trust. However, in UP, there is another direct fight between Yogi and Akhilesh Yadav, while both parties are also facing threats from their own people. Apart from this, there are many parties that can ruin anyone’s game.
Who will spoil the game in UP by-elections? Will Mayawati regain the lost land? Will Jayant Choudhary be able to show his strength if he joins the BJP? Will Owaisi become the trump card of Muslims?
Even if there is a direct fight in UP between Akhilesh Yadav and Yogi Adityanath. But there are many factors here that can ruin anyone’s game. The most discussed issue in the UP Lok Sabha elections was the internal discord in the BJP. After which a series of meetings took place at Delhi Darbar. Now these elections will decide if all is well in the BJP. Because Akhilesh keeps trying to corner Yogi with Deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya. While Keshav Prasad Maurya is seen openly opposing Akhilesh.
Both parties face internal challenges
It is clear that Akhilesh Yadav continually raises this issue. Claim of fight between the Center and Yogi. In such a situation, the challenge Yogi faces in this by-election is to prove Akhilesh’s claims wrong.
There were also speculations about a fight between BJP and RSS in the Lok Sabha elections. But a meeting was held in Mathura between Yogi Adityanath and Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat. If sources are to be believed, the UP by-elections were also discussed in that meeting. After which, the Sangh also decided its strategy regarding the by-elections. In such a situation, these elections are nothing less than a test for the Sangh.
However, the internal challenges faced by Akhilesh are not minor. There has been a fierce fight between the Samajwadi Party and the Congress for seats. But in the end, Akhilesh Yadav managed to field his candidates for 9 out of 9 seats. At first the Congress openly opposed it, but then, understanding the political game, they calmed down. But even before that there is a fight to recover the lost land of UP. Now the question is whether the Congress leaders will support the Samajwadi Party candidate or spoil the game in some seats.
All eyes on Dalit votes
On the other hand, the image of the Dalit vote bank also has to be clear in the elections. Currently, he is the one that influences the vote bank the most in UP politics. This is the reason why Mayawati, who has stayed away from the by-elections, has fielded her candidates for nine seats this time. Those who face the challenge of saving their lost land. But neither Mayawati has held any demonstration nor has her nephew Akash Anand taken up any front. The credibility of Dalit leader Chandrashekhar Azad is also at stake. They have fielded candidates for many seats including Meerapur, Kundarki and Khair. For Chandrashekhar, who became an MP by winning on the back of Muslim votes in Nagina, the challenge is to attract Dalit votes.
On the other hand, while Akhilesh aims to completely withdraw the Muslim vote bank, Owaisi is also ready to break into it. Asaduddin Owaisi has fielded his candidates from Meerapur, Kundarki and Ghaziabad assembly seats. All three seats in the assembly are considered Muslim-dominated. That is why AIMIM has used all its strength. On the last day of the election campaign, Owaisi himself tried his best to attract Muslim votes in his favor by holding a public meeting at the Mirapur headquarters. Not only this, he even mentioned the Muzaffarnagar and Palestine riots.
Jayant Chaudhary’s evidence on Jat votes
Although Jayant Choudhary’s test is in the Meerapur assembly seat, the challenge is to transfer the Jat votes in favor of the BJP. In 2022, RLD managed to win the Meerapur seat with the support of SP, but this time RLD has an alliance with BJP. Because of the way Jayant has carried out a political experiment in Meerapur by fielding a candidate from the Pal community instead of Jat and Gurjar, this contest is not an easy one for RLD.
However, the UP by-elections are a fight for survival for many people. Where there is more danger from our own people than from the enemy in front.
