Poll bugle blows in sugarcane belt, multiple factors at play
Battle for first phase of Lok Sabha election in Uttar Pradesh’s sugarcane belt to test Jat politics, Muslim-Dalit votes, new alliances, and political equations.
As the battle for the first phase of the Lok Sabha election begins, all eyes are on the sugarcane belt of western Uttar Pradesh where multiple factors such as Jat politics, Muslim and Dalit votes, besides new political equations, are expected to come into play and sway the outcome.
The notification for this phase was issued on Wednesday, signalling the start of the nomination process.
The eight constituencies that will vote in the first phase on April 19 are Saharanpur, Kairana, Muzaffarnagar, Bijnor, Nagina, Moradabad, Rampur and Pilibhit. Barring Pilibhit (26.1%), Muslims comprise more than 40% of the voters in the other seven constituencies.
In this phase, the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) will be tested on its ability to secure Jat votes for its new alliance with the BJP, while the Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Congress will seek to leverage the sentiment among minorities in Muslim-majority constituencies.
This is the first election after Bharat Ratna was conferred on former Prime Minister Chaudhary Charan Singh posthumously. Chaudhary Charan Singh is RLD chief Jayant Chaudhary’s grandfather. The RLD has fielded Chandan Chauhan in Bijnor.
