Mainpuri LS by-polls a prestige issue for SP

The bypoll was necessitated after Mulayam had vacated the seat since he won from both Mainpuri and Azamgarh in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections

The Samajwadi Party (SP) in Uttar Pradesh is pulling all stops to win the Lok Sabha by-election in Mainpuri as it has become a prestige issue for the party. The by-election in the constituency, scheduled for September 13, is necessitated after SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav vacated the seat after he won from both Mainpuri and Azamgarh in the general elections.

Though Mulayam had got over 360,000 votes, he is not taking any chances, and SP has deputed top leaders to campaign for its candidate Tej Pratap Singh Yadav. Tej is the grandson of Mulayam’s elder brother Ratan Singh and sitting block pramukh (chief) of Saifai. He is the son of late Ranvir Singh Yadav, in whose memory the annual Saifai Mahotsava is organised.

With SP’s honour at stake, the party is striving to ensure that not only the seat is retained but also the win margin is maintained. On September 7 and 8, Mulayam had addressed rallies in each of the five Assembly constituencies of Mainpuri viz. Bhogaon, Kishni, Karhal, Mainpui and Jaswantnagar.

STILL A SP BASTION?

• The by-poll in Mainpuri is scheduled for September 13
• The Lok Sabha seat was vacated by SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav
• The party has fielded Tej Pratap Singh Yadav as its candidate while the BJP has fielded Prem Kumar Shakya
• Bahujan Samaj Party is not contesting the by-poll
• Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav to visit Mainpuri on Wednesday  to address election meetings
• Mainpuri has a large percentage of both dalit and backward caste voters

On Wednesday, he would again visit Mainpuri to address a big rally in Karhal, the Assembly constituency where the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate in Lok Sahba elections had polled nearly half as many votes as Mulayam.

Besides, UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, who has so far kept away from rallies though 11 Assembly seats are also going to the by-polls, is scheduled to visit Mainpuri on Wednesday to address election meetings.

Senior Uttar Pradesh Cabinet minister Shivpal Singh Yadav is officiating as party’s Mainpuri constituency incharge. In fact, Saifai village and Shivpal’s Jaswantnagar Assembly constituency fall under Mainpuri parliamentary seat.

In his rallies, Mulayam has also tried to strike an emotional chord with Mainpuri, saying it was his traditional stronghold and he was confident of retaining the confidence of electorate once again. Mainpuri has a large percentage of both dalit and backward caste voters. BJP has fielded Prem Kumar Shakya.

Since, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) is not contesting the by-polls, SP does not want to concede ground to BJP, which had made inroads into the traditional vote banks of both BSP and SP.

In Lok Sabha polls, BJP had won 71 of the 80 parliamentary seats in UP with its ally Apna Dal winning two others putting the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) tally at 73 in the state. BSP had come to a naught.