UP's Phulpur Lok Sabha seat braces for a three-cornered OBC contest

India's first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru used to represent Phulpur Lok Sabha seat.

Phulpur Lok Sabha constituency in Uttar Pradesh, known for being represented by India’s first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, will vote on May 25 in the sixth phase of the Lok Sabha elections.

However, Nehru was not the only representing this seat. In the 1950s, as many as 86 Lok Sabha seats had “two-member” representation. This system was abolished in 1961 to give adequate representation to various communities.

Phulpur parliamentary constituency consists of Phulpur, Phaphamau, Soraon (SC), Allahabad North, and Allahabad West assembly segments.

Masuriya Din was the other MP apart from Nehru who contested from the seat. Din won four Lok Sabha elections: Phulpur (1952 and 1957) and Chali (1962 and 1967).

Unlike Nehru’s elite background, Din hailed belonged to a family of Scheduled castes. Din, who shared a close rapport with Indira Gandhi, focused on education and reforms. But after the Congress split in 1969, he opted for the rival faction Congress (O). Both the BJP and Congress celebrated his birth anniversary which falls on October 2.

Phulpur witnessed a significant shift in political dynamics during the 1977 Emergency period when the Congress lost the seat. In recent years, electoral outcomes in Phulpur have mirrored changing voter preferences. In the 2004 Lok Sabha polls, SP candidate Atiq Ahmed won from the Puhlupur seat.

However, the gangster-turned-politician and his brother Ashraf were shot dead by three assailants live on television. BSP candidate Kapilmuni Karwaria bagged the seat in 2009 while BJP’s Keshav Prasad Maurya won. The seat was again won by the BJP in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. BJP’s Keshav Maurya secured significant support while SPs Dharmaraj Singh Patel came in second.

However, in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, all parties fielded OBC candidates. Phulpur MLA Praveen Patel is the BJP candidate while Amarnath Maurya, a law graduate, is the SP contender. Meanwhile, the BSP has fielded its veteran leader Jagannath Pal.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and SP chief Akhilesh Yadav had to cut short a joint election meeting in Phulpur, Uttar Pradesh, on Sunday, due to an “uncontrollable” crowd.

Congress leader Rewati Raman Singh later said the situation spiralled out of control as the crowd grew too large and the police presence was insufficient.