GORAKHPUR: Sometimes politics throws up such curious plots which push even the blood relations to make difficult choices.
On Monday at 8:45 pm, Sanghmitra Maurya, BJP MP from Badaun and daughter of BJP turncoat Swami Prasad Maurya had to leave her father’s door-to-door campaign midway. Sources claim Sanghmitra was seeking votes for father Swami Prasad Maurya clandestinely and was spotted by the BJP workers who flagged out the issue in Fazilnagar, the assembly constituency in Kushinagar from where Maurya, the BJP turncoat, seeking election as a Samajwadi Party candidate.
Fazilnagar, which has gone beyond the issue making it a fight depending more on the caste matrix, will vote along with Gorakhpur under Phase-6 on March 3.
While Swami Prasad Maurya, a prominent non-Yadav OBC face in state politics, is depending on his traditional vote base and that of Samajwadi Party’s core voters, BJP’s Surender Singh Kushwaha, also a prominent OBC face of the region and son of sitting BJP MLA Ganga Singh Kushwaha, is hoping to cash in on the development done by Yogi government besides the caste dynamics. However, the Bahujan Samaj Party candidate Mohammad Illyas Ansari, an SP turncoat, has made the election triangular. BSP has a strong presence in the assembly seat with over 80,000 Dalit and 90,000 Muslim voters.
Maurya is wooing the voters over caste census while raising stray cattle menace, lack of health and education facilities and unemployment as the issues.
Maurya had deserted BJP on January 14 to join the SP, after serving as labour minister in the Yogi cabinet for five years. He has now chosen Fazilnagar as his constituency instead of his adjoining traditional stronghold Padrauna where he was believed to be facing strong anti-incumbency.
Maurya had been representing Padrauna for four terms since 2007.
Maurya had won from Padrauna as the BJP candidate defeating BSP’s Javed Iqbal by a margin of 93,000 votes in the 2017 elections.
In fray with an outsider tag (given by rivals), Maurya is depending largely on the caste matrix of the segment with his influence over the OBC Maurya-Kushwaha-Shakya-Saini community along with the traditional support base (Muslim-Yadav) of the Samajwadi Party.
On the other, BJP nominee Surender Singh Kushwaha too belongs to the OBC community. He comes from Gurwaliya, a village dominated by the Kushwaha community in Fazilnagar.
Both Maurya and Kushwaha have left the voters confused over making the hard choice. “It is a difficult election as the fight is between a big name (Maurya) and the local leader of the community,” says Sharad Kushwaha, a villager said.
“Though Surender Singh is our own candidate and is always easily available in the hour of need, but Maurya is a big name,” says Sharad, a farmer, expressing doubt if Maurya will be seen in the constituency after winning.
Ram Autar, 65, sounds hopeful saying Maurya is a big OBC leader and he will develop Fazilnagar after winning the election.
On the other, the saffron brigade is treating Fazilanagar as an issue of its prestige. The BJP is contesting to teach Maurya a lesson for his betrayal. Fazilnagar is a small sub-urban pocket of Kushinagar, the land of Lord Budhha who had attained salvation here. Of the 5.5 lakh population, Fazilnagar has an electorate of 3.77 lakh.
“In the 2017 assembly elections, we had voted for Ganga Singh Kushwaha. Now his son Surendra is contesting. Both the father and the son have influence over OBC voters. They are seeking votes promising us to stand by us in our happiness and grief. Voters will make a final decision on March 3,” says Jitendra Singh, a grocery shop owner in Babuganj market of Fazilnagar.
Compelled to make a tough choice between Maurya and Kushwaha, the voters of Fazilnagar are not ignoring Bahujan Samaj Party candidate Ilyas Ansari, who quit the Samajwadi Party after he was denied a ticket from Fazilnagar seat. Mohammad Javed, a resident of Turkpatti, in Kushinagar, claims that Muslim community is divided over Maurya and Ansari.
The Congress has fielded Sunil Singh and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Harish Chandra Yadav from Fazilnagar.
For Sarvesh Kumar Maurya, the contest could tough be between BJP and SP but the choice is not as difficult. “I am clear. My choice is clear. I may be belonging to the same caste as Sami Prasad Maurya but I cannot overlook the development done by the BJP in this area,” he says adding that Maurya is having an image of ‘Bhagoda’ (absconder) as he left Padrauna to contest from Fazilnagar.
But the women are a less confused lot. “ My vote will go undoubtedly to the BJP, Yogi Baba Corona (COVID-19). He gave us food. He made us survive when everything was closed,” asserts Reena Devi of Chatia village. For Savita, the first time voter, Yogi Aditynath’s party is the first choice. “He has given us colony (house), free ration, free cylinder and whatnot. Look at
the law and order. No one can dare to throw an evil eye on us. We can go out conveniently without fear,” she claims with confidence.
As per the local political analysts, the BJP is relying on development done during the last five years, benefits of the welfare schemes and also upper caste votes besides its OBC vote bank. “The BJP is also hoping a division in Muslim votes as Ansari of BSP is not a weak candidate. So, the possible division of Maurya and Muslim votes will help the BJP,” says AK Srivastava, a local political analyst.
Moreover, the Saffron brigade is also hoping to get support from Kurmi-Sainthwars who have a significant presence in this region. It is the same caste group from which RPN Singh, the royal scion of the region, comes. He joined the BJP quitting the Congress after the notification of the polls. BJP is looking to cash in on the popularity of RPN Singh.