With national-level leaders camping in Karnataka and big names in the state busy with the urban local bodies elections, the low-key campaigning for bypolls in two Uttar Pradesh assembly constituencies ended on Monday.
Bypolls in the two constituencies — Swar and Chhanbey (SC) — will be held on Thursday.
With the Mayawati-led Bahujan Samaj Party sitting out the elections and the Congress fielding a candidate only from Chhanbey, the bypolls are likely to witness another contest between the BJP-led ruling coalition and the Samajwadi Party (SP), the main opposition.
The focus of the bypolls will be on Swar, formerly represented by Abdullah Azam Khan, the son of senior SP leader Azam Khan. Abdullah Azam was disqualified from the assembly after a Moradabad court in February sentenced him to two years in prison in a 15-year-old case.
The SP is going all out to defend its last citadel in Rampur while the Apna Dal (Sonelal), which is attempting to breach the fortress, will take heart from alliance partner BJP snatching the Rampur Sadar assembly seat and the Rampur parliamentary constituency from the Akhilesh Yadav-led party.
Six candidates are in the fray in Swar but locals see it as a battle between the SP’s Anuradha Chauhan and Shafeek Ahmed Ansari of Apna Dal (Sonelal).
There are more than 3 lakh registered voters in Swar.
The Chhanbey seat in Mirzapur fell vacant following the death of MLA Rahul Prakash Kol of the Apna Dal (Sonelal) in February.
There are approximately 3.65 lakh eligible voters in Chhanbey.
The Apna Dal (Sonelal) has fielded Kol’s wife Rinki Kol while Kirti Kol is contesting as the SP candidate.
Addressing an election rally in Mirzapur, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said, “Those who made you yearn for a drop of water, make them yearn for one vote.”
Alleging that “dynasts” created obstacles in the path of development as they had nothing to do with it, he said they looted the funds meant for welfare schemes for the poor.
Union Minister Anupriya Patel, who represents Mirzapur in the Lok Sabha, and her husband Ashish Patel campaigned for Kol.
On Sunday, Patel and the BJP’s Uttar Pradesh unit chief Bhupendra Singh Chaudhary campaigned for Ansari in Swar.
SP chief Akhilesh Yadav did not take part in the bypoll campaign.
In Swar, Azam Khan said Chauhan is the “pride” of the people and asserted that she will win the election.
Appealing to the electorate to vote for the party candidate during an election rally late on Sunday, Khan said, “Anuradha Chauhan is our pride. If there is any injustice (in terms of poll results), it will be a deceit.”
The former minister also targeted the BJP and said, “Those who level allegations of communalism should be given a befitting reply and they should know that she (Chauhan) is our sister.”
Dr Taufeeq Ahmed, a medical practitioner in Rampur, said, “So far, the MLAs of Swar have been outsiders. Now, local candidates have been given tickets. The main concern of the people is health and education. If the health issues are addressed, it will be a big relief.”
The ruling alliance of the BJP, Apna Dal (Sonelal) and the NISHAD Party have 255, 11 and six MLAs, respectively, in the 403-member Uttar Pradesh Assembly.
The Samajwadi Party has 109 MLAs while its ally the Rashtriya Lok Dal has nine. The Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party has six MLAs, the Congress and the Jansatta Dal (Loktantrik) have two each and the Bahujan Samaj Party one.
Rajesh Srivastava, a spokesperson for the Uttar Pradesh unit of the Apna Dal (Sonelal) told PTI, “People in Swar are eagerly awaiting a change. Our candidate is a prominent local resident of Swar, who has been a two-time chairman of the Swar Nagar Palika. He is a very social person and he will be the party’s first MLA from western Uttar Pradesh.”
Deepak Ranjan, the SP spokesperson, also exuded confidence that the party will register “emphatic wins” in Swar and Chhanbey.