In the Moradabad Lok Sabha constituency of western Uttar Pradesh, a fierce electoral showdown is anticipated between the Samajwadi Party's (SP's) Ruchi Veera and the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP's) Kunwar Sarvesh Kumar Singh. Meanwhile, the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) is poised to act as a 'vote katua', a term in the Hindi heartland denoting political entities and candidates who aim to diminish the votes of others without garnering substantial support themselves. As the constituency gears up for voting on April 19, the electorate stands ready to participate in the inaugural phase of the 2024 general elections, with the counting of votes scheduled for June 4.
The BJP secured its first victory from the Moradabad seat amid the fervour of the 2014 Narendra Modi wave. Prior to this, the saffron party tasted success in 1971 when the Bhartiya Jana Sangh emerged triumphant. However, the stronghold of the SP is currently grappling with internal discord.
ST Hasan, the incumbent MP of the SP, notably skipped a poll rally of party supremo Akhilesh Yadav on April 14, citing a bitter internal feud. "If Akhilesh had summoned me, I would have attended. I am awaiting Azam Khan's release from jail to clarify why he prevented me from obtaining the ticket," Hasan told News18 in an exclusive interview.
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Hasan runs a prominent hospital in Moradabad, which also serves as his house. The television channel quoted a local Muslim, living near Hasan’s clinic, as saying, "He was humiliated; first, he was given the ticket, and he filed the nomination. On the last day of nomination, Veera was announced as the official candidate. It would have been better if Hasan was never given the ticket." Another group of locals echoed similar sentiments, believing that Hasan could have ensured a substantial victory for the SP. However, due to recent events, people are now leaning towards supporting the opposition alliance.
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The SP’s surprise candidate and former Bijnor MLA, Veera, is putting up a brave front in the face of adversity. She noted that she tried to meet Hasan, but he declined, advising her to concentrate on the campaign instead. "Hasan Sahib is like my elder brother. I hope he supports me," Veera told the channel, mere three days before the Moradabad election. On the other hand, the BJP enlisted Home Minister Amit Shah and UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for campaigning in the region.
In the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, 71-year-old Singh secured a historic victory from Moradabad, and he is once again in the fray, despite opposition claims about his health. Singh, a seasoned leader and multiple-time MLA, has a strong political presence in the region. His son, Sushant Singh, who currently serves as an MLA from the Badhapur seat in Moradabad, is leading the campaign on his behalf. "The SP has acknowledged that their MP did not deliver any substantial work in the last five years, which is why they have replaced Hasan as their candidate. In 2019, our defeat was a result of the unexpected SP-BSP alliance," the channel quoted him as saying.
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The saffron party has launched a campaign emphasising that Veera is considered an "outsider" and criticising the SP for not fielding a local candidate. Supporters of the BJP, attending a rally addressed by Amit Shah in Moradabad, viewed this stance as a strong signal of the BJP's anticipated triumph.
In the last five years, Moradabad has witnessed a remarkable transformation into a 'Smart City', a progress credited by the BJP to its joint governance in Delhi and Lucknow. Despite being a Muslim-majority constituency, Moradabad has drawn interest from the SP, which seeks to bolster its position in the area.
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