PM Modi, Ajay Rai, Smriti Irani, Dimple Yadav: Key contests in Uttar Pradesh

Lok Sabha Elections: The state of Uttar Pradesh, in the north of the country, holds the key to power at the Center with its 80 seats in the Lok Sabha. A saffron sweep in the northern state is essential for the BJP to realize Prime Minister Narendra Modi's call for aThis time it's 400 pairs,the BJP alone won 370 seats.

The state, particularly the Gandhi family districts of Amethi and Rae Bareli, are vital to the Congress's fight for survival in the Indian political landscape. The Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) also entered the electoral fray to face off after the drubbing they suffered in the 2014 and 2019 general elections.

It remains to be seen whether UP will take the saffron route again or vote for change this time. While the BJP deployed all its weapons to win the state by fielding Prime Minister Narendra Modi from Varanasi against Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Ajay Rai, the Samajwadi Party opted for late Mukhtar Ansari's brother, Afzal Ansari, in Ghazipur, and party leader Akhilesh Yadav. marries Dimple Yadav in Mainpuri.

Key contests to watch out for in Uttar Pradesh

Varanasi: Narendra Modi (BJP) against Ajay Rai (Congress)

This will be the most awaited contest in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. Narendra Modi won the constituency in the 2014 and 2019 general elections with a thumping majority.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, Prime Minister Modi won the seat with over 6.74 lakh votes and a vote share of 63.6 percent. Ajay Rai was trailing behind Samajwadi Party's Shalini Yadav, who polled over 1.95 lakh votes and a vote share of 18.4 per cent. Rai, on the other hand, managed to secure over 1.52 lakh votes and a vote share of 14.4 per cent.

In the 2014 general elections, Prime Minister Modi won from Varanasi by over 5.81 lakh votes and a vote share of 56.4 percent. AAP's Arvind Kejriwal was far behind with over 2.09 lakh votes and a vote share of 20.3 per cent. Ajay Rai landed in third place with over 75,000 votes and a vote share of 7.3 percent.

Lucknow: Rajnath Singh (BJP) against Ravidas Mehrotra (SP) and Sarvar Malik (BSP).

The Lucknow Lok Sabha, which comprises five assembly segments, will witness a three-party contest. The five assembly segments of Lucknow Lok Sabha are namely Lucknow West, Lucknow North, Lucknow East, Lucknow Central and Lucknow Cantt.

The saffron party will field Union Defense Minister Rajnath Singh for the third time, while Ravidas Mehrotra and Sarvar Malik have been fielded from SP and BSP respectively. In the 2019 general elections, Singh defeated Samajwadi Party's Poonam Sinha by a margin of over 3.47 lakh votes and secured a vote share of 56.70 percent.

In 2014, Singh won against Rita Bahuguna Joshi of Congress by a margin of over 2.72 lakh votes and a vote share of 54.27 percent. Ravidas Mehotra held the post from Lucknow Central constituency and won by 2012 but lost in 2017.

In the 2022 assembly elections, BSP's Sarvar Malik unsuccessfully contested against sitting MP Rajnath Singh and SP MP Ravidas Mehrotra for the Lucknow North seat.

Pilibhit: Jitin Prasada (BJP) vs Bhagwat Saran Gangwar (SP) vs Anis Ahmed (BSP)

In Pilibhit, the BJP replaced Varun Gandhi with UP minister Jitin Prasada. Maneka will contest from Sultanpur, where she won in 2019. Prasada, a former Congressman, has a tough task establishing himself in Pilibhit.

Despite his claims of the party's full support, locals suggest that Varun's relatives are unhappy with the BJP's decision. Maneka and Varun's deep roots in Pilibhit pose a challenge for Prasada. Samajwadi Party's Bhagwat Saran Gangwar, a former minister, is seen as having a hold over Kurmi's influential voters. The BSP has recruited Anis Ahmed, a former Uttar Pradesh minister, who is expected to attract a substantial number of Muslim votes.

Amethi: Smriti Irani (BJP) against opposition candidate yet to be declared

In this stronghold of the Gandhi family, the BJP reiterated Union Minister Smriti Irani. However, the opposition is yet to declare a candidate for this seat. In the 2019 general elections, Irani defeated Rahul Gandhi by a margin of over 4.68 lakh votes and a vote share of 49.7 percent.

Rahul Gandhi, on the other hand, secured over 4.13 lakh votes and a vote share of 43.9 per cent. In the 2014 general elections, the Gandhi scion won this seat by a margin of over 4.08 lakh votes and secured a vote share of 46.7 percent. Irani came second with over 3 lakh votes and a vote share of 34.4 percent.

Raebareli: The candidates have not yet been announced

The Congress and the BJP are yet to announce their candidates from another stronghold of the Gandhi family. In the 2019 general elections, Sonia Gandhi won this seat with a margin of over 5.34 lakh votes and a massive vote share of 55.8 percent. BJP's Dinesh Pratap Singh secured 3.67 lakh votes and a vote share of 38.4 per cent.

In 2014, Sonia Gandhi won the constituency with 5.26 lakh votes and a vote share of 63.8 percent. BJP's Ajay Agrawal came a distant second with over 1.73 lakh votes and 21.1 per cent vote share.

Gorakhpur: Ravi Kishan (BJP) against Kajal Nishad (SP)

Gorakhpur, which comprises five assembly segments, is a general headquarters. The seat was represented by Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath five times: 1998, 1999, 2004, 2009 and 2014. The BJP once again opted for star power in Gorakhpur by fielding Bhojpuri superstar Ravi Kishan, from the constituency.

Ravi Kishan won the constituency with over 7.17 lakh votes and a massive vote share of 60.5 per cent. The Samajwadi Party (SP), on the other hand, presented a new face, Kajal Nishad. Before entering politics, Nishad was actively involved in the entertainment industry and worked in shows like Lapataganj.

Mainpuri: Dimple Yadav (SP) vs Jaiveer Singh Thakur (BJP)

The Samajwadi Party has once again fielded Akhilesh Yadav's wife and current MP Dimple Yadav. Manipuri is a stronghold of the Samajwadi Party and the seat inherited from Dimple's father-in-law Mulayam Singh Yadav. In the 2022 bypolls after the death of Mulayam Singh Yadav and disqualification of Azam Khan, Yadav won the seat by over 2.88 lakh votes.

The BJP, meanwhile, has chosen UP minister Jaiveer Singh Thakur to take on Dimple Yadav in the constituency. After announcing her candidacy, Thakur said in 2022, Dimple won the poll due to a wave of sympathy after the death of Mulayam Singh Yadav, but “time has passed” now. He said people were asking her about her work in the constituency and she was not getting any satisfactory results. answers.

Ghazipur: Afzal Ansari (SP) against Paras Nath Rai (BJP)

In one of the most popular seats in Purvanchal, the Samajwadi Party fielded Afzal Ansari, brother of gangster-politician Mukhtar Ansari. The BJP, on the other hand, has fielded Paras Nath Rai, considered close to Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha.

In the 2019 general elections, Afzal Ansari won the seat on the BSP ticket with a margin of over 5.66 lakh votes and a vote share of 51.11 percent. In the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, Sinha won the seat with over 3.06 lakh votes and a vote share of 17.04 percent.

This is Paras Nath Rai's debut in electoral politics. Rai is associated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and is also the managing director of Madan Mohan Malviya Inter College in Ghazipur.

Uttar Pradesh Lok Sabha Election Trends

According to the India Today Mood of the Nation survey, the BJP is expected to get around 70 seats and 52 per cent votes in the state in the upcoming general elections. The saffron party is expected to get around 72 seats with the support of Anupriya Patel's Apna Dal (S).

Opposition bloc INDIA will likely get fewer than 10 seats. While the Samajwadi Party (SP) is likely to get 7 seats, the Congress is likely to get only one. The PS will see a decrease in its vote share from 39 percent to 30 percent, while the Congress is expected to keep its vote share intact at 6 percent.

In the 2019 general elections, the BJP won 62 seats out of 80 while the Samajwadi Party won 5 seats. The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) won 10 seats and the Congress may manage to win just one.

In the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, the BJP won 71 of the 78 contested seats, while the Apna Dal won both the seats it contested. The SP could win only 5 seats while the Congress won with 2 seats. The Congress and the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) failed to win any seats.