The Second Phase Election Is Going to Be Tough for BJP in Uttar Pradesh

Lucknow: Most of the 55 seats going to poll in the second phase of Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections are Muslim-dominated, and religious leaders from Barelvi (Bareilly) and Deoband are also considered to have a significant influence in these areas. This means that the BJP's challenges in the second phase will be greater than those in the first phase. A total of 55 seats in Uttar Pradesh will vote on February 14th in the second round of elections for the state's 403-member Assembly, with notice being issued on January 21st. In addition to the western Uttar Pradesh constituency of Saharanpur, Bijnor, Amroha, Sambhal, Moradabad, and Rampur, Ruhelkhand has 55 assembly districts, including Bareilly, Badaun, and Shahjahanpur.

Elections in UP:

In the 2017 assembly elections, the BJP won 38 seats, the Samajwadi Party (15 seats), and the Congress won two seats out of the region's 55 seats. The SP and the Congress fought the last assembly elections jointly. Moreover, half of the SP's seats are held by Muslim candidates. In the first round of voting, the BJP took 53 of the 58 seats up for grabs, while the SP and BSP each received two seats and RASHTRIYA Lok Dal received only one. Vice-president and legislative councilor Vijay Bahadur Pathak predicted that the BJP will win more seats than before in the second round of voting, as the government at the state and federal level prioritized the development of all sectors and the people felt this.

People who have been victimized by thievery and corruption will not give these parties another opportunity during the state's 15-year Congress control. After seeing the Congress and the BSP ally with everyone, Akhilesh Yadav decided to teach them a lesson. Remember that the SP teamed up with the Congress in 2017's assembly elections and with the BSP and the Rashtriya Lok Dal in 2019's parliamentary elections.

The coalition's partnership against the BJP in these 55 seats won both elections. Critics, on the other hand, argue that the BJP will profit from the SP, BSP, and Congress running independently this time around and that this would lead to a split in votes. Additionally, BSP has fielded Muslim candidates and stepped up its presence in the region. Seven seats in the area went to the BSP-SP coalition, despite the SP and Congress winning a combined 17 seats in last year's assembly elections. The BSP won four seats (Saharanpur, Nagona, Bijnor, and Amroha), while the SP won three seats (Moradabad, Sambhal, and Rampur) in these three districts.

The combination of Muslim, Jat, and Dalit voters in this stronghold seems to have worked. With the help of the Rashtriya Lok Dal and the Mahan Dal, the SP has created a coalition with the Jat, Shakya, Saini and the Kushwahas, Mauryas, and Koiris of western Uttar Pradesh. SP is also attempting to create a major equation in its favor about the arrest of Rampur MP and former minister Azam Khan, who has been incarcerated in Sitapur jail for almost two years in several criminal matters, including land stealing. President Akhilesh Yadav of the SP claims the governing BJP is tormenting Azam and accusing him of being involved in a false case.

Rajendra Chaudhary, the SP's national secretary, and a top spokesman stated that the BJP's deceptions had been revealed. The BJP will be exiled from the state for the second time in a row. In the second round of voting, the SP alliance enjoys a commanding lead. Further, an SP senior predicted the BJP will be eliminated from power thanks to the SP-RLD coalition formed by Swami Prasad Maurya, Dharam Singh Saini, and former BJP member Keshav Dev Maurya. Swami Prasad's eldest daughter, Sanghamitra Maurya, is still an MLA for the BJP in Badaun.

In addition, Congress is working to solidify its position. He declared on Monday that the Barelvi Muslim religious scholar and head of Ittehad-e-Millat Council, Maulana Taukir Raza Khan, will back the Congress candidates in five states, including Punjab and Uttar Pradesh. Earlier this week, Raza Khan proclaimed his support for Uttar Pradesh Congress President Ajay Kumar Lallu during a press conference held in his honor. Lallu thanked Khan for his support, saying that the support would play a significant part in building the state's next administration.