Lucknow: The sixth and penultimate phase of the Lok Sabha election, set for May 25, will focus on Purvanchal in Uttar Pradesh, a region marked by the legacies of prominent figures alongside a pervasive influence of mafia and musclemen in the electoral process.
This phase encompasses 14 constituencies, including Sultanpur, Pratapgarh, Phulpur, Allahabad, Ambedkarnagar, Shrawasti, Dumariyaganj, Basti, Sant Kabir Nagar, Lalganj (SC), Azamgarh, Jaunpur, Machhlishahr (SC), and Bhadohi.
In 2019, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had won nine of these 14 seats, while the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) had bagged four, including Ambedkarnagar, Shravasti, Lalganj (SC) and Jaunpur.
The Samajwadi Party (SP) could manage only its bastion of Azamgarh, from where party chief Akhilesh Yadav was in fray. In 2019, the BSP and SP had contested the polls as alliance partners.
In 2014, the BJP had swept all the seats in this phase, except Azamgarh. However, it clinched the SP stronghold seat in a 2022 by-election.
The performance of the BSP, which is going solo in this election, will be closely watched to gauge its impact as a potential spoiler or influencer in favour of the BJP or the SP-Congress alliance.
At the same time, SP faces challenges in expanding its footprint in this phase, particularly in constituencies historically untouched by the party like Sultanpur, Shravasti, Basti, Sant Kabir Nagar, and Bhadohi.
Phase VI: Key numbers from Uttar Pradesh
Date of polling: May 25
Total Constituencies: 14
Total Voters: 2.69 crore
(Male: 1.42 crore; Female: 1.27 crore)
Total nodal centres: 17,113
Total Polling booths: 28,171
2019 Results: BJP(9); SP (1); BSP (4); Cong (0)
CONSTITUENCIES WATCH
1. Sultanpur
Uttar Pradesh's constituency No. 38 has always remained in the shadow of its high-profile neighbours, Amethi and Rae Bareli.
A Gandhi contested this seat for the first time in 2014, when the BJP fielded Varun from here. In 2019, he was fielded from Pilibhit and his mother, Maneka, contested from here.
Maneka is now seeking the ninth term in parliament from here. She is facing a formidable challenge in the form of SP's Ram Bhuwal Nishad, a prominent leader of the boatmen community from Gorakhpur. Besides CM Yogi Adityanath and BJP allies like NISHAD party, outgoing BJP MP and Varun Gandhi also sought votes for mother on last day of campaign.
2019: Maneka Gandhi (BJP)
2014: Varun Gandhi (BJP)
2009: Sanjay Sinh (INC); elected to Rajya Sabha in 2014
2. Azamgarh
Azamgarh has been the citadel of the Samajwadi Party's first family for the past three elections. This is despite SP patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav’s nephew Dharmendra, who is the party's 2024 candidate, losing to the BJP's Dineh Lal Nirhaua in a by-poll two years ago.
With Muslims and Yadavs forming almost 35% of the voting population, the constituency has a 17–18% Dalit population as well, helping the BSP win the seat thrice in the past. The BJP had won the seat only once, through local strongman Ramakant Yadav, in 2009.
Former BSP MLA Guddu Jamali, who had polled nearly 2.5 lakh votes in the 2022 bypoll to facilitate Nirahua’s victory by a margin of 8,000, is now with SP and an MLC. Nirahua, needless to say, is facing an uphill task to retain the seat. BSP has fielded a Muslim candidate, Masood Sabiha Ansari.
2019: Akhilesh Yadav (SP); Resigned on March 22, 2022
Dinesh Lal Yadav Nirahua (BJP); Elected on June 26, 2022
2014: Mulayam Singh Yadav (SP)
2009: Ramakant Yadav (BJP)
3. Allahabad
The city of Sangam—the confluence of rivers Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati—and the erstwhile capital of the United Province was once a Congress stronghold represented by the country's two former prime ministers Lal Bahadur Shastri and VP Singh and former UP CM Hemvati Nandan Bahuguna.
Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan was the last Congress candidate to win from Allahabad in 1984 with a 68.21% record vote share.
In 2024, the BJP replaced sitting MP Rita Bahuguna Joshi with Neeraj Tripathi, son of former governor and UP Vidhan Sabha speaker, the late Kesri Nath Tripathi. The Congress has fielded Ujjwal Raman Singh, son of senior SP leader Kunwar Reoti Raman Singh, who represented Allahabad in the Lok Sabha twice in 2004 and 2009.
2019: Rita Bahuguna Joshi (BJP)
2014: Shyama Charan Gupta (BJP)
2009: Rewati Raman Singh (SP)
4. Jaunpur
Former Maharashtra minister and ex-Mumbai Congress chief Kripashankar Singh is the BJP candidate here. He is facing former UP minister Babu Singh Kushwaha, a BSP turncoat, on the SP's ticket.
SP chief Akhilesh Yadav has fielded him to cosy up to the Maurya-Kushwaha population, ignoring his tainted past of being a prime accused in the National Rural Health Mission scam during the BSP government (2007–2012).
Moreover, homegrown gangster Dhananjay Singh, who was jailed until a month ago, is also a factor. Initially, his wife Srikala Reddy was slated to contest as a BSP candidate. However, upon Dhananjay's release on bail, Srikala withdrew from the contest, and Dhananjay declared his support for the BJP candidate.
As a last resort, BSP had to fall back to its sitting MP Shyam Singh Yadav. Like most UP seats, the caste factor is in full swing, with Yadavs, Thakurs, Kushwaha and Muslims playing key roles.
2019: Shyam Singh Yadav (BSP)
2014: Krishna Pratap (BJP)
2009: Dhananjay Singh (BSP)
5. Ambedkarnagar
Known as the caste lab of BSP founder Kanshi Ram, Mayawati has represented this constituency thrice in the past, when it was known as Akbarpur, the birthplace of socialist leader Dr Ram Manohar Lohia.
Dalits, Kurmis, Brahmins and Muslims are dominant voters in this constituency.
In 2019, then-BSP leader Ritesh Pandey wrested this seat from the BJP, securing 51.72% of the votes. However, he jumped ship to the BJP last year and has been nominated as the saffron party candidate this time. The SP has fielded sitting MLA Lalji Verma, while the BSP has chosen Kawar Hayat Ansari this time.
Notably, the BJP first won this seat in 2014 during the Modi wave.
2019: Ritesh Pandey (BJP)
2014: Hari Om Pandey (BJP)
2009: Rakesh Pandey (BSP)
6. Phulpur
As the second parliamentary constituency of Prayagraj, formerly known as Allahabad, Phulpur's greatest claim to fame is being represented by India's first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru.
Nehru contested from here in 1952, 1957 and 1962, and his sister Vijay Lakshmi Pandit won the bypoll held after his death. Later, the likes of Janeshwar Mishra and VP Singh also represented the seat, as did gangster Atiq Ahmed, who won in 2004.
The constituency has heavy concentration of OBC voters and Kurmis have dominated the winners’ list since the early 1980s.
The BJP won this seat first in 2014 and again in 2019. This time, the BJP has fielded Praveen Patel, who faces the SP’s Amarnath Maurya.
2019: Keshari Devi Patel (BJP)
2014: Keshav Prasad Maurya (BJP); resigned on Sept 21, 2017
Nagendra Pratap Singh Patel (SP); elected on March 14, 2018)
2009: Kapil Muni Karwariya (BSP)
7. Pratapgarh
Kurmi voters, 11% of the population in the constituency, are believed to be kingmakers in Pratapgarh, where Brahmins are also in a dominant position with 16%.
Sitting BJP MP Sangamlal Gupta is contesting for a second term, while the SP has fielded SP Singh Patel, a Kurmi.
Top BJP brass, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, have campaigned for Gupta.
Kunda MLA Raghuraj Pratap Singh alias Raja Bhaiya and senior Congress leader Pramod Tiwari are big influencers in the constituency.
In 2019, Gupta defeated the BSP’s Ashok Tripathi and had earlier been elected from the Pratapgarh assembly seat in 2017 on Apna Dal ticket.
The Congress last emerged victorious here in 2009.
2019: Sangam Lal Gupta (BJP)
2014: Harivansh Singh (Apna Dal)
2009: Ratna Singh (INC)
8. Shrawasti
Investment banker Saket Mishra, son of former advisor to the Prime Minister and chairman of Ram Temple Construction Committee Nripendra Mishra, has taken the poll plunge as a BJP candidate from Shravasti.
Saket's maternal grandfather, Badlu Ram Shukla of Congress, was elected MP from Bahraich in 1971. Saket was among top contenders from Shravasti in 2019 but could not get a ticket. However, he made Bahraich his base and kept working for the constituency.
SP's Ramshiromani Verma is the INDIA bloc candidate. He was elected Shravasti MP on BSP ticket in 2019, when the party was in alliance with the SP. In March this year, the BSP expelled Shravasti MP for “indiscipline and anti-party activities.”
The Mayawati-led party has named Moinuddin Ahmad Khan, aka Haji Daddan Khan, as its candidate.
2019: Ram Shiromani Verma (BSP)
2014: Daddan Mishra (BJP)
2009: Vinay Kumar Pandey (INC)
9. Domariyaganj
Known for being a one-day Chief Minister of UP, Jagdambika Pal has been playing a long innings as an MP in Domariyaganj.
After being elected as an MP on Congress ticket in 2009, Pal has been serving the constituency as a BJP MP since 2014 and is eyeing a fourth consecutive term this time.
He is facing two-time MP from Kushinagar, Bhishm Shankar, aka Kushal Tiwari, who is the son of eastern UP strongman Harishankar Tiwari.
Kushal Tiwari has been fielded by the INDIA bloc, while the BSP has fielded Nadeem Mirza.
2019: Jagdambika Pal (BJP)
2014: Jagdambika Pal (BJP)
2009: Jagdambika Pal (INC)
10. Basti
Two-time BJP MP Harish Dwivedi is again in the fray from Basti, while the INDIA bloc has played the caste card to make the contest tough for the saffron party by fielding former minister Ramprasad Chaudhary.
The constituency has around 3 lakh Kurmis.
The BSP, which held the seat from 2004 to 2014, has named Lavkush Patel.
2019: Harish Dwivedi (BJP)
2014: Harish Dwivedi (BJP)
2009: Arvind Kumar Chaudhary (BSP)
11. Sant Kabir Nagar
The BJP is banking on sitting MP Praveen Nishad, son of Nishad Party president Sanjay Nishad, in Sant Kabir Nagar, a constituency named after the famous mystic poet and saint Sant Kabir Das.
Praveen was elected in the 2019 polls by a margin of over 35,000 votes, defeating Bhishma Shankar Tiwari of the BSP.
The SP has fielded former minister of state Laxmikant Pappu Nishad, while the BSP has named Nadeem Ashraf to garner Dalit and Muslim votes.
2019: Praveen Kumar Nishad (BJP)
2014: Sharad Tripathi (BJP)
2009: Bhishma Shankar Tiwari (BSP)
12. Lalganj (SC)
The Lalganj Lok Sabha constituency is set for a triangular contest.
The BJP has named former MP Neelam Sonkar, who was defeated by the BSP's Sangeeta Azad in 2019. However, Sangeeta Azad quit BSP to join the saffron fold this year.
SP's two-time former MP Daroga Prasad Saroj is in the fray as INDIA bloc nominee. Daroga Prasad won the Lok Sabha elections in 1998 and 2004.
BSP has placed its bet on Indu Chaudhary, an assistant professor of English at the Banaras Hindu University (BHU).
2019: Sangeeta Azad (BJP)
2014: Neelam Sonkar (BJP)
2009: Bali Ram (BSP)
13. Machhlishahr (SC)
The BJP has reposed its faith in two-time MP BP Saroj from Machhlishahr Lok Sabha constituency, which spreads across Jaunpur and Varanasi districts.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, BP Saroj registered victory over BSP's Tribhuvan Ram by a wafer thin margin of just 181 votes. In 2014, the BJP's Ram Chandra Nishad had defeated BP Saroj, who was with the BSP then.
Meanwhile, the SP has fielded 26-year-old Priya Saroj, who is a Supreme Court lawyer and the daughter of three-time SP MP Tufani Saroj, while the BSP has fielded former IAS officer Kripashankar Saroj.
2019: BP Saroj (BJP)
2014: Ram Charitra Nishad (BJP)
2009: Tufani Saroj (BSP)
14. Bhadohi
Famous as a carpet hub, Bhadohi will witness a direct contest between the BJP's Vinod Kumar Bind and INDIA bloc candidate Lalitesh Pati Tripathi, who is fighting on the Trinamool Congress symbol.
After changing its candidate thrice, the BSP fielded a local backward leader, Harishankar Chauhan.
Sitting BJP MP Ramesh Bind, who was denied a ticket, recently quit the BJP to join the Samajwadi Party and is the INDIA bloc candidate from Mirzapur.
Notably, SP has not won Bhadohi so far.
Before 2014, Bhadohi seat was known as Mirzapur-Bhadohi parliamentary constituency, which remained in the limelight when SP fielded bandit queen-turned-politician Phoolan Devi in 1996 and she emerged victorious.
2019: Ramesh Chand Bind (BJP)
2014: Virendra Singh Mast (BJP)
2009: Gorakh Nath Pandey (BSP)