LUCKNOW: The 13 seats of Uttar Pradesh set to vote in the fourth phase on Monday, May 13, are considered the virtual spinal column of the state as they fall in the central region. These seats are Shahjahanpur (SC), Lakhimpur Kheri, Dhaurahra, Sitapur, Hardoi (SC), Misrikh (SC), Unnao, Farrukhabad, Etawah (SC), Kannauj, Kanpur, Akbarpur and Bahraich (SC).
These were more evenly contested than the 26 constituencies of the first three phases, but in the previous Lok Sabha elections, the saffron surge took all of them into its fold despite the presence of the SP-BSP-RLD alliance. This time Congress and SP are together again after the 2017 UP Assembly polls.
If the BJP faces the challenge of replicating its 2019 performance in this phase, the SP’s top concern is to regain the prestigious Kannauj seat.
The most prominent fight of the fourth phase in UP will be witnessed in Kannauj, the perfume capital of India. Considered a stronghold of the Samajwadis, Kannauj is set for a fierce battle between SP chief Akhilesh and the BJP’s incumbent MP and perfume trader, Subrat Pathak.
Pathak defeated Akhilesh’s wife, Dimple, by a margin over 12,000 votes in 2019. Meanwhile, Shahjahanpur, Hardoi, Sitapur, Unnao, Etawah and Bahraich have a big chunk of Dalit voters. The BSP has never been able to open its account in six of the constituencies: Shahjahanpur, Kheri, Hardoi, Farrukhabad, Kannauj and Kanpur. However, the SP has historically struggled to win the Kanpur and Akbarpur seats.
Shahjahanpur (SC)
The BJP won this reserved seat thrice in 1998, 2014 and 2019, the Congress twice in 1999 and 2004, while the Samajwadi Party won this seat only once in 2009. In 2019, the BJP’s Arun Kumar Sagar won it by securing 58.09% of the votes, defeating BSP’s Amar Chand Jauhar as SP-BSP-RLD candidate, who could garnered 35.46% of the votes. While the BJP has repeated its MP, SP has has fielded on Jyotsana Gond and BSP Dodram Verma.
Lakhimpur Kheri
The BJP has won it four times since 1996. It registered two consecutive victories in 2014 and 2019. The SP has won thrice while the Congress last bagged this seat in 2009. While the BJP has fielded minister of state for home in the Modi government, Ajay Mishra Teni, yet again after he registered victory in 2019 and 2014, defeating SP’s Purvi Verma in 2019 by securing 53.62% votes. Teni, who had come under huge criticism following his son Ashish Mishra’s involvement in trampling four farmers to death under his four-wheeler on October 2, 2021, is seeking a third term from the seat. His son Ashish Mishra is currently out on bail.
Setting all criticism aside, the BJP has chosen to rely on Teni, by making him the candidate for the third time. Challenging him is the SP’s Utkarsh Verma and the BSP has fielded Anshay Kalra.
Dhaurehra
In the last Lok Sabha election, BJP’s Rekha Verma secured 48.21% vote share to defeat the BSP’s alliance candidate Arshad Siddiqi who was restricted to 33.11% vote share.
While the BJP has repeated its sitting MP Rekha Verma, the SP has fielded Anand Bhadouria. The BSP is betting on Shyam Kishore Awasthi, a Brahmin.
Sitapur
In 2019, BJP’s Rajesh Verma who had defeated BSP’s Nakul Dubey by securing 48.3% vote share is seeking another term from the seat. Nakul Dubey polled 38.84% votes while the Congress secured 9% of the total votes. This time the seat is in Congress kitty and its candidate Rakesh Rathore is facing BJP’s Rajesh Verma.
Hardoi (SC)
In 2019, the BJP’s Jai Prakash Rawat received 53.71% vote share, defeating SP’s Shiv Prasad Verma, who, as the SP-BSP-RLD’s candidate, got 41.8% of the total votes in constituency.
Misrikh (SC)
The little-known constituency is a mixture of five assembly constituencies — borrowing three from Hardoi, and one each of Sitapur and Kanpur. In 2019, the BJP’s Ashok Rawat defeated BSP’s Neelu Satyarthi who as an alliance candidate got 42.22% of the votes. While the BJP has repeated Ashok Rawat, SP has fielded Sangeeta Rajvanshi and BSP BR Ahirwar. Ashok Rawat won the same seat in 2004 and 2009 as a BSP candidate.
Unnao
Known as the ‘Land of pen and sword’, the Unnao parliamentary constituency is dominated by Dalits who make over 30% of the total population as per 2011 census. After clinching a landslide in 2019 over SP’s Arun Shankar Shukla, BJP has repeated its MP Sakshi Maharaj in Unnao. Congress candidate Anu Tandon finished third with 15% of the votes. In 2014, the same BJP candidate defeated the same SP nominee as in 2019. This time, SP and the BSP have named Anu Tandon and Ashok Kumar Pandey, respectively
Farrukhabad
Known as bastion of senior Congress leader and former Union minister Salman Khurshid, the BJP has won this seat four times, in 1996 and 1998. The SP won twice in 1999 and 2004 and the Congress last won in 2009. In 2019, the BJP’s Mukesh Rajput with 56.8% vote share defeated BSP’s Manoj Agrawal who secured 34.71% of the votes. While the BJP has retained its MP, the SP has fielded Naval Kishore Kashyap, both being the OBC candidates. The BSP has made the contest interesting by playing the Brahmin card, fielding Kranti Pandey.
Etawah (SC)
A known SP bastion, the Etawah constituency is a reserved seat with sizeable Dalit voters. SP won in 1999, 2004 and 2009. This once elected BSP founder Kanshi Ram, too, to the Lok Sabha in 1991. The BJP won in 2014. The BJP’s Ram Shankar Katheria defeated the SP’s Kamlesh Kumar in 2019 with the Congress getting only 16,570 votes (1.61%). The BJP has repeated its MP while the SP and the BSP have fielded Jitendra Dohare and Ram Singh Baghel, respectively.
Kannauj
The BJP stormed the SP citadel in 2019 when Subrat Pathak defeated the then sitting MP Dimple Yadav, albeit by a narrow margin of just over 12,000 votes. While the BJP has repeated the MP who is facing a stiff challenge from none other than SP chief Akhilesh Yadav himself who is out to reclaim the family legacy of his father Mulayam Singh Yadav. The BSP has fielded Imran Bin Zafar.
Kanpur
In 2019, BJP’s Satyadev Pachauri with 55.6% vote share won it by defeating Congress’ Sri Prakash Jaiswal who got 37.11% votes. This time BJP and Congress have fielded Brahmin candidates -- Ramesh Awasthi and Alok Mishra. The BSP has given ticket to Kuldeep Bhadauriya.
Akbarpur
Once a BSP bastion, this constituency sent former UP CM and BSP chief Mayawati to Lok Sabha three times in a row: 1998, 1999 and 2004. Earlier, in 1996 too, the seat went to the BSP.
In 2019, BJP’s Devendra Bhole won with 56.62% of the votes, defeating BSP’s Nisha Sachan who secured 29.82% of the votes. Bhole had won in 2014 as well. In 2024, while the BJP has repeated Bhole yet again, SP has fielded Raja Ram Pal. The BSP has named a Brahmin candidate Rajesh Kumar Dwivedi.
Bahraich (SC)
The reserved seat is enriched with natural opulence, including dense forests and rich rivers but the socio-economic and basic amenities parameters of Bahraich are below the national average. The BJP won the seat five times in 1991, 1996, 1999, 2014 and 2019. The SP and the BSP won here once each in 2004 and 1998. The Congress also registered its victory here last in 2009. In 2019, the BJP’s
Akshaibar Lal won the seat by defeating the SP’s Shabbir Valmiki with 53.12% votes. This time, the BJP has replaced its MP with Anand Gond, while the SP has nominated Ramesh Gautam and BSP Birjesh.