Many in fray from home turfs, others change seats in Prayagraj region
There are some others in their bid to get elected are ready to contest from anywhere
The poll scene in Prayagraj region is a saga of contrasts this time as some candidates have entered the electoral fray from their traditional seats, while there are some others in their bid to get elected are ready to contest from anywhere regardless of their home turf.
For instance, Congress’ Anugrah Narayan Singh is contesting from his traditional Allahabad North assembly seat for the 10th time in last 37 years and Raghuraj Pratap Singh is in the fray from Kunda seat for the seventh time in last 29 years.
On the other hand, the Apna Dal (Sonelal) candidate from Bara seat Vachaspati has in the past contested the assembly polls from different seats. In 1996, he contested the polls on a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ticket from Manjhanpur seat of and ended up losing to the Bahujan Samaj Party’s Indrajeet Saroj.
In 2007, he fought the assembly elections from Sirathu seat of Kaushambi district and emerged a winner. However, in 2012 he entered the poll fray from Soraon seat as an independent candidate but stood third.
In 2014 by-polls, he contested the elections from Sirathu again and emerged victorious but as a Samajwadi Party (SP) candidate. In 2017, he again contested from Sirathu seat as an SP candidate but lost to Sheetla Prasad of BJP.
Similarly, Mohd Mujtaba Siddiqui, the SP candidate from Phulpur seat of Prayagraj in 2022 UP polls, in the past has contested the polls from two assembly seats. In 2002 and 2007, he entered the fray from Soraon on a BSP ticket and emerged victorious but then shifted to Pratappur seat of the district. In 2012, he contested as the BSP candidate but lost to Vijma Yadav of the SP. However, in 2017, he tasted success from the same seat as a BSP candidate defeating his nearest Apna Dal (S) rival Karan Singh to become an MLA only to join the SP over his differences with BSP leadership.
Another such leader is former SP MP from Phulpur Nagendra Singh Patel who this time is contesting from Kaushambi disKaushambi trict’s Chail seat as an Apna Dal (S) candidate. Even SP candidate from Pratappur seat Vijma Yadav, who in 2012 had won from Pratappur, has earlier in 1996 and 2002 entered the poll fray from Phulpur seat and had won. Two-time MLA from Allahabad West seat on a BSP ticket Pooja Pal has changed not just her political party but also the seat for 2022 polls.
This time, she has been fielded from Kaushambi’s Chail seat as an SP candidate.