Poll contest set for enthralling finale in land of sages and socialists
BJP aiming for a hat-trick of wins in Deoria, Samajwadi Party- Congress alliance trying to regain hold in the constituency
The Lok Sabha poll race is intense in Deoria, also known as the land of sages or the Devbhoomi of eastern Uttar Pradesh.
The Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) is aiming for a hat-trick of wins in the constituency which goes to polls in the seventh and last phase of the 2024 Lok Sabha election on Saturday.
On the other hand, the Samajwadi Party- Congress alliance is trying to regain hold in the constituency that was a fertile ground for the socialist movement post-independence.
The BJP has denied the ticket to its sitting MP Ramapati Ram Tripathi and fielded a technocrat Shashank Mani Tripathi, son of former party MP Shri Prakash Mani Tripathi, who won the seat in 1996 and 1999.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha election, the BJP had denied the ticket to sitting MP Kalraj Mishra, currently the Rajasthan governor.
Congress national spokesperson and former MLA Akhilesh Pratap Singh is in the fray as the INDIA bloc candidate. The Bahujan Samaj Party has fielded Sandesh Yadav.
Since 1991, Deoria has witnessed an intense fight between the SP and BJP in successive Lok Sabha elections, especially between SP founder member Mohan Singh and BJP candidate Shri Prakash Mani Tripathi. Singh won the seat in 1991, 1998 and 2004 and Tripathi was victorious in 1996 and 1999. After Mohan Singh’s death, the BJP has been dominating politics in Deoria, winning Lok Sabha and assembly elections here.
“Deoria is the land of sages like Devraha Baba and Baba Raghav Das,” said Asit Shukla, resident of Baitalpur town. Post independence, socialist leaders dominated the politics of Deoria, he added.
The Socialist Party, Praja Socialist Party and Samyukta Socialist Party candidates won the seat in 1952, 1962 and 1967 Lok Sabha elections. Riding on the Ram temple movement, the BJP gained ground in the constituency (in the 1990s), he said.
“Known for sages and socialists, the constituency has turned into a caste laboratory of the BJP, SP and BSP. The Brahmins have rallied around the BJP candidate who belongs to their community. The Rajputs are working for the victory of the Congress candidate, who belongs to their community,” said Ranjit Gond, resident of Madanpur village.
The SP is getting the support of Yadavs and Muslims, while the BJP is hopeful of non- Yadav OBCs’ backing, he said.
Government degree college student Rakesh Tripathi said the launch of infrastructure projects, construction of roads and bridges put the constituency on the path of development.
“The youths need job opportunities and good educational institutes. The state government should address the issues associated with the youths,” he said.
Congress worker Shiv Kumar Patel said the party candidate Akhilesh Singh has an advantage over the BJP candidate as he was elected from Rudrapur assembly segment in 2012. He worked for the development of the constituency and people are aware of his performance, he said.
The absence of former UP Congress president Ajay Kumar Lallu from the election campaign has exposed the rift in the Congress.
Lallu was vying for the party ticket from Deoria, said Ramesh Gond, resident of Kanchanpur town on the Deoria- Kushinagar highway.
BJP worker Ram Kumar Pal said party candidate Shashank Mani Tripathi is active not only in Deoria but the adjoining districts as well and he runs an organisation for entreprenuership development among youths.
His efforts are opening employment doors for the youths, he said.
Vishram Kushwaha, resident of Tamkuhiraj, said the villages face floods every year after a rise in the water level of the Gandak river.
“We have been demanding construction of embankments and other flood control measures,” he said.
“The BJP is getting the advantage of welfare schemes, including houses, ration , electricity connections, toilets, water supply and health cards,” said Ram Dayal Verma, resident of Rampur Karkhana town.
Benefiting from the schemes as well as improvement in the law and order situation, women have become the silent support base of the BJP, he said.
Both the NDA and INDIA bloc are keeping a close watch on the BSP camp. The absence of senior BSP leaders from campaign has given them an opportunity to make inroads in its votebank. Dalit votes will decide the fate of the BJP and the Congress candidates.
However, BSP state Vishwanath Pal said, “The rival parties’ ploy to make inroads in the BSP support base has failed. Our supporters are committed to our ideology.”
The BJP has mobilized its cadre to win the seat. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union home minister Amit Shah and chief minister Yogi Adityanath addressed public meetings in support of the party candidate. INDIA bloc leaders Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav also addressed a rally.