Even in the era of chill and severe cold wave, Uttar Pradesh Assembly Elections 2022 has heated up the atmosphere. Especially the strategy under which the BJP gave ticket to Chief Minister Adityanath from Gorakhpur. Then challenged former Chief Minister and Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav to contest the assembly elections and Akhilesh accepted that challenge and indicated to contest from Azamgarh. Since then the political temperature has risen sharply. There is enthusiasm among BJP and SP workers. According to political analysts, this time the politics of Purvanchal is expected to be hotter.
To cultivate Purvanchal, BJP sent Yogi to Gorakhpur
With the announcement of the elections, discussions about Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath contesting from Ayodhya became common. Preparations for Yogi’s contest in Ayodhya also intensified. But then the BJP think tank handed over the Gorakhpur ticket to Yogi Adityanath. The strategy behind this was clear that the Bharatiya Janata Party did not want its equation of Purvanchal to deteriorate in any way. Anyway, except Yogi and Keshav Maurya, there was not even such a big face in Purvanchal. Then the work that Yogi Adityanath did as Chief Minister from Gorakhpur to Varanasi and Prayagraj could have been better redeemed while Yogi was still there.
After Yogi Adityanath’s candidature from Gorakhpur, BJP and especially Deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya challenged the SP president to contest the assembly elections. Let us inform that Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, like former Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, remained MLC for five years. In such a situation, Akhilesh not only accepted the challenge but also gave indications of contesting from Azamgarh, the hottest region of Purvanchal.
Actually it is believed that to get the power of UP, it is very important to cultivate Purvanchal. Then when Yogi Adityanath went to his safe area Gorakhpur, Akhilesh also liked Azamgarh more. At present, Akhilesh is also an MP from Azamgarh. Apart from this, there is no big leader other than Yogi among the candidates declared so far for the seats of Purvanchal. In such a situation, SP President Akhilesh not contesting from any seat in Purvanchal was like leaving BJP open. Therefore, giving priority to Azamgarh, Akhilesh increased the agitation.
Be it Yogi Adityanath or Akhilesh Yadav, both have not contested the assembly elections in their political career so far. In such a situation, both of them need a safe seat. If Yogi is invincible in his stronghold as MP, then Azamgarh is a safe place for Akhilesh and Mulayam Singh. The biggest reason for this is the traditional vote bank of SP. Azamgarh has been a stronghold of SP’s YM factor (Yadav-Muslim) vote bank since its inception. Half of the 10 assembly seats in Azamgarh are in the possession of the SP. In such a situation, it cannot be a safe seat.
Let us tell you that when Akhilesh Yadav became MP from Azamgarh in 2019, he got six lakh 21 thousand votes, that is, 34 percent. Azamgarh’s Mubarakpur, Sadar and Gopalpur seats are perfect for Akhilesh. The reason is the social fabric. In terms of caste equation, Muslims, Yadavs, Rajbhar, Chauhan together have been benefiting the SP. In the last Lok Sabha elections itself, Akhilesh got one lakh 36 thousand votes from Mubarakpur, one lakh 29 thousand votes from Sadar. The Sadar seat has been in the possession of the SP since 1996.
In fact, whether it has been the 2017 assembly elections or the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the lack of results as per the expectation of the SP in Etawah, Mainpuri, Firozabad, which are called the strongholds of socialists, is also a big reason for Akhilesh Yadav to turn to Purvanchal.
Caste alliance is also stronger in Purvanchal
The caste-based satraps with whom the SP formed an alliance or got their big leaders included in the party, the dominance of all of them is more in Purvanchal itself. Be it Om Prakash Rajbhar or Dara Singh Chauhan or Swami Prasad Maurya. In the event of contesting from Azamgarh, these three satraps will also have an impact. In a way, the quartet of Yadavs, Muslims, Rajbhar and Chauhan can be instrumental in Akhilesh’s victory.