2024 Lok Sabha election: Royal quotient integral part of poll arithmetic in Pratapgarh
Though none of the erstwhile royal families is in the fray, their scions are playing an important role in deciding the fate of NDA and INDIA bloc candidates from backstage in Pratapgarh
The politics of Pratapgarh, known as the amla (Indian gooseberry) belt of Uttar Pradesh, revolves round the erstwhile princely estates.
In the 2024 Lok Sabha election, none of the erstwhile royal families is in the fray but their scions are playing an important role in deciding the fate of the NDA (National Democratic Alliance) and INDIA bloc candidates from backstage. The sway of the royal families is being talked about on the campaign trail.
Seven-time Kunda MLA and Jansatta Dal (Loktantrik) president Raghuraj Pratap Singh aka Raja Bhaiya, scion of the Bhadari estate, is at the centre stage of the electoral contest with the leaders of both the NDA and INDIA bloc trying to win his support.
He has a strong following in the constituency, especially in Kunda and Babaganj assembly segments (though located in Pratapgarh district both the seats are part of Kaushambi Lok Sabha seat). Union home minister Amit Shah’s meeting with Raghuraj Pratap Singh in Bengaluru during the election campaign sparked speculation that he may support the BJP candidates.
Located 60 km west of the administrative headquarters in Pratapgarh, the Benti palace where Raghuraj Pratap Singh resides drew leaders of various parties to seek his support. The BJP’s Kaushambi candidate Vinod Sonkar, along with Union minister Sanjeev Balyan, reached Benti to meet Raghuraj Pratap Singh and seek his support. Earlier, Samajwadi Party candidate Pushpendra Saroj also approached him.
Since Raghuraj Pratap had earlier supported the BJP, the party leaders were again hopeful of his backing in the Lok Sabha election. But he announced on May 14 that he will not support any party or candidate. Rather, his supporters can vote according to their choice, he said.
A tilt toward the SP’s Kaushambi and Pratapgarh candidates was witnessed among his supporters after he announced that anti- incumbency factor was strong against the BJP candidates. Jansatta Dal (Loktantrik) workers joined SP rallies.
NDA ally and Apna Dal (Sonelal) chief Anupriya Patel was quick to hit back. At a public meeting n support of the BJP candidate in Pratapgarh, she took a jibe at Raghuraj Pratap Singh, stating that in a democracy, kings are born not from the womb of a queen, but from EVMs.
“The time has come to break the illusions of self- proclaimed kings who still think that the constituency is their fiefdom. In a free country, only the voter is all-powerful,” she said.
The BJP’s Pratapgarh nominee Sangam Lal Gupta also raised the royalty issue, stating that leaders from the teli (oilmen) community also had the right to contest polls and become people’s representatives. Later, sensing that his remark may backfire in view of the Kunda MLA’s popularity, Gupta released a video statement that went viral stating that Raja Bhaiya is a nationalist committed to the Hindutva ideology.
Meanwhile, Jansatta Dal (Loktantrik) workers announced that they will campaign for the SP’s Mirzapur candidate to ensure the defeat of Anupriya Patel, who is seeking a third term from the constituency.
The Jansatta Dal (Loktantrik) leaders also raised the issue of “Kshatriya discontent.”
Hitting back, deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya said the BJP does not need the support of the royals, but will win the seat on its own strength.
Even though none of the royal families is contesting Lok Sabha election, there is a buzz around royalty due to their dominance in Pratapgarh politics, said political observer SK Singh.
Ajit Pratap Singh of the Pratapgarh estate was elected on the Congress ticket twice in 1962 and 1980. Later, his son Abhay Pratap Singh won the seat on the Janata Dal ticket in 1991, he said.
Former Union minister Dinesh Singh of the erstwhile Kalakankar estate represented Pratapgarh in the Lok Sabha for four terms - 1967, 1971, 1984 and 1989. His daughter Rajkumari Ratna Singh won the seat thrice in 1996, 1999 and 2009.
Akshay Pratap Singh, a scion of the Jamo estate and Raja Bhaiya’s cousin, won the Pratapgarh seat in the 2004 Lok Sabha election.
In the ongoing Lok Sabha election, the BJP has fielded its sitting MP Sangam Lal Gupta while the SP has nominated MLC SP Singh Patel and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) has chosen Prathmesh Mishra, making the contest triangular.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union home minister Amit Shah and chief minister Yogi Adityanath have addressed public meetings in support of the party candidate. Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav and BSP chief Mayawati have also addressed public meetings for their respective party candidates.
To win over the Brahmins, Mayawati’s rally started with recitation of Vedic mantras by priests.
For his part, Modi assured farmers that the government is working to boost the Amla (Indian gooseberry) production in the district and it has been selected under the One District One Product scheme.
A farmer Saryu Verma said the government should support amla growers and help them increase their earnings.
As the amla plantation has declined, the government should set up a processing unit to promote cultivation of the fruit, he said.