The by-election in UP is taking place across nine seats today, with intense focus on Mirapur due to rising political tension. The election saw an uproar when police attempted to manage voters at Kakrauli, Mirapur, resulting in stone-pelting. The police, using minimal force, managed to restore peace, allowing voting to continue smoothly. A key factor in Mirapur's heated situation is the multi-faceted competition.
In Mirapur, the assembly seat is entangled in a multi-cornered contest. National Democratic Alliance's (NDA) candidate, Mithilesh Pal from Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD), faces competition from the opposition's Sumbul Rana of the Samajwadi Party (SP), Zahid Hussain from Advocate Chandrashekhar's Azad Samaj Party, and Shahnazar of Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP). Both NDA and opposition alliances are betting on external candidates for this seat.
Alongside BSP, Advocate Chandrashekhar's party, allied with Asaduddin Owaisi's AIMIM, has trusted a local face. Historically, external candidates have prevailed in this constituency. BSP and ASP aim to alter this trend by fielding Muslim candidates, intensifying the contest with SP's Muslim representation as well.
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NDA believes that a division among Muslim votes will pave an easier path to victory. In 2022, the opposition alliance won here, electing RLD's Chandan Verma as MLA from Mirapur, then allied with SP. Now, Jayant Chaudhary's party has joined NDA. Chandan, having moved on to become a Member of Parliament, vacated this seat, prompting today's election. The reputation of Jayant Chaudhary and Chandan Chauhan is more at stake than party affiliations.
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Discussing the social dynamics of Mirapur, it hosts a significant Muslim population of approximately 40%. Besides, there is a substantial presence of Jat and Gurjar voters, along with important constituencies of Tyagi, Pal, and Dalit voters. SP eyes support from Muslims, Yadavs, and other backward and Dalit communities, while NDA banks on the fragmentation of Muslim votes and BJP's core supporters rallying around them. Whose optimism and strategies align with reality? November 23 will reveal all.
