The first electoral showdown between the BJP and an INDIA bloc constituent in Uttar Pradesh is about to take place. Leaders from both sides are working hard to gather support for their candidates in the upcoming Ghosi assembly bypoll on September 5. The Congress and the Left parties are supporting the Samajwadi Party (SP) candidate, and they are also campaigning for him. This is part of the new opposition togetherness leading up to next year’s general election.
Even though Arvind Kejriwal’s AAP is not a major force in Uttar Pradesh, they are also rallying support for the SP nominee. The BJP’s Dara Singh Chauhan, who used to be an MLA for the SP but switched to the saffron party and resigned from his seat, is seeking re-election.
The SP has chosen Sudhakar Singh as their candidate, and he has received support from the Congress, CPI(M), and CPI(ML)-Liberation. Interestingly, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav, who did not campaign for the Rampur and Azamgarh Lok Sabha bypolls last year, addressed an election meeting in Ghosi. He believes that this election will bring about a change in the country’s politics.
In the previous bypolls, the SP lost in Rampur and Azamgarh, which were once considered strongholds. Yadav won the Azamgarh seat in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, while Azam Khan retained Rampur. However, they vacated their seats after winning in the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections in March 2022. Realizing the importance of concerted efforts to challenge the BJP, Yadav expressed gratitude towards the parties that are now supporting the SP and stated that this election will bring about a change in the country’s politics.
Yadav also emphasized that this kind of election is rare in Uttar Pradesh, where boundaries of caste and religion have been broken to support the SP candidate. Although the Left parties have had limited influence in Uttar Pradesh politics, their presence in the area is still significant.
