New Delhi: As the general election enters its final stages, eastern Uttar Pradesh -- also known as “Purvanchal”, with its complex caste dynamics -- has emerged as a pivotal battleground for both the BJP and the Opposition. Purvanchal, comprising 27 Lok Sabha seats (of which 14 had gone to the polls during the sixth phase), is witnessing a fierce battle between the BJP and the INDIA bloc.
Political heavyweights like Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP President J.P. Nadda have been holding rallies and roadshows to woo voters. The presence of the Samajwadi Party is dominant in at least 14 Assembly segments falling under the 13 Lok Sabha seats that will go to the polls on June 1.
In the seventh and last phase of the Lok Sabha polls, voting will also take place in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s parliamentary constituency Varanasi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s home district Gorakhpur. With only three days left for election campaigning, the BJP has put in all its strength in these 13 Lok Sabha seats of eastern UP and will deploy all its big guns in the region to seek votes.
On Sunday, Prime Minister Modi held three election rallies in the region and is expected to address more in the coming days before the end of campaigning. Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP chief J.P. Nadda also addressed multiple poll rallies and meetings in Purvanchal on Monday, while UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath participated in five programmes in the region. Meetings and rallies of several top BJP leaders and ministers have been scheduled till the end of the election campaign. The Opposition INDIA bloc has also planned a show of strength on May 28 or 29 in Varanasi. Sources in the Opposition alliance said that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav may address a big public meeting in Varanasi.
On May 25, AICC general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and sitting SP MP from Mainpuri Dimple Yadav held a roadshow in Varanasi in support of Opposition alliance candidate Ajay Rai.
On June 1, voting will be held in Varanasi, Gorakhpur, Maharajganj, Kushinagar, Deoria, Bansgaon, Ghosi, Salempur, Ballia, Ghazipur, Chandauli, Mirzapur and Robertsganj.
In the last general election, the BJP-led NDA had won 11 out of the 13 seats in Purvanchal, the Bahujan Samaj Party that contested the election in alliance with the Samajwadi Party won two seats. The BJP won nine seats, while its ally Apna Dal (S) won two seats.
