NEW DELHI / LUCKNOW: The BJP will be defending 45 of the 59 LS constituencies going to polls on Sunday in the high-stakes sixth phase. While the SP and BSP are banking on each other’s strength to win seats in UP, an assertive Congress is harping on ‘soft Hindutva’ to corner the BJP in Madhya Pradesh.
In Haryana, the BJP is aiming to gain from divided Opposition space even as the saffron outfit is testing organisational strength against the ruling Aam
Aadmi Party in Delhi, where the Congress is also putting up a spirited fight to retrieve the lost turf.In Uttar Pradesh, polling will be held for 14 seats while the remaining 13 are slated for the last phase of elections on May 19. SP chief Akhilesh Yadav in his family pocket borough of Azamgarh is being challenged by rookie politician and popular Bhojpuri singer Dinesh Lal Yadav, who’s known as Nirahua, in a straight contest.
Perhaps the most watched contest in this phase would be in Bhopal Lok Sabha constituency, where the BJP’s fiery Sadhvi Pragya Thakur takes on Congress veteran Digvijaya Singh. Not wanting to take chances, Digvijaya had to further let go of his secular image by getting saints to support him in the election.
Meanwhile, in a dramatic turn of events, PM Narendra Modi joined BSP chief Mayawati in attacking the Congress over the Alwar gangrape case. Both said the Congress-led government in Rajasthan tried to suppress news about an alleged gangrape of a Dalit woman in Alwar as it feared it would dent its chances in the elections.
“The story of the gangrape of a Dalit daughter which took place two weeks ago is now coming out gradually,” Modi said at an election rally in Ghaziabad, UP.
Speaking to reporters in Lucknow, Mayawati alleged the Gehlot government “terrorised” the victim’s family into not revealing the incident till the polls were over in the state. According to reports, the woman was raped on April 26 and the crime was reported to police. However, the FIR was filed only on May 7, after polls were over in the state.