BJP faces challenge of retaining all 13 LS seats in Ph-4

LUCKNOW: Parties made lastminute appeals to voters as the high-voltage campaign ended on Saturday evening for 13 Lok Sabha seats going to polls in the fourth phase in Uttar Pradesh on Monday. The BJP had won all these seats in 2019 by thwarting the SP-BSP alliance challenge and now faces the task of defending its turf against the INDIA bloc.

Chief minister Yogi Adityanath addressed election rallies in Unnao, Kannauj and Kanpur on the final day while Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav held a public contact programme in Kannauj from where he is contesting the election.

The fourth phase polling will be held in Shahjahanpur (SC),

Kheri, Dhaurhara, Sitapur, Hardoi (SC), Mishrikh (SC), Unnao, Farrukhabad, Etawah (SC), Kannauj, Kanpur, Akbarpur and Bahraich (SC), Uttar Pradesh chief electoral officer Navdeep Rinwa said.

In addition, a by-poll will be held in Dadraul assembly constituency in Shahjahanpur district on Monday, he said.

Adequate preparations have been made for conducting free, fair and peaceful polling, he said.

A total of 130 candidates are in the fray in these 13 Lok Sabha constituencies.

A total of 2,47,47,027 (2.47 crore) voters, including 1,31,82,341 (1.31 crore) men , 1,15,63,739 (1.15 crore) women and 947 third gender are eligible to exercise their franchise in the fourth phase.

Kannauj has 15 candidates, the most and Etawah seven, the least, in this phase.

Ten candidates are in fray from Shahjahanpur Lok Sabha constituency, 11 from Kheri, 12 from Dhaurhara, eight from Sitapur, 12 from Hardoi, nine from Mishrikh, nine from Unnao, eight from Farrukhabad, 11 from Kanpur, nine from Akbarpur and 10 from Bahraich. Ten candidates are contesting the Dadraul assembly by-poll, Rinwa said.

For these 13 Lok Sabha seats, the BJP has retained 11 sitting MPs but fielded new candidates Ramesh Awasthi from Kanpur and Anand Kumar from Bahraich.

In the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, the SP has stitched an alliance with the Congress to regain its hold over the constituencies that extend from parts of the Yadav belt to the Terai region and central Uttar Pradesh. The SP has fielded 11 candidates and the Congress two for Sitapur and Kanpur.

Going solo, the BSP has decided to make the contest triangular on all the 13 seats.

The key candidates are SP chief Akhilesh in Kannauj, Union minister of state for home Ajay Kumar Mishra Teni in Kheri , former Union minister Ram Shankar Katheria in Etawah, SP candidate Annu Tandon in Unnao where she is facing the BJP’s Sakshi Maharaj and BSP coordinator Bhim Rao Ambedkar in Hardoi.

For the BJP, Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the campaign along with chief minister Yogi Adityanath, Union home minister Amit Shah, deputy CMs Keshav Prasad Maurya and Brajesh Pathak.

SP chief Akhilesh Yadav and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi campaigned in Kannauj.

BSP chief Mayawati led the party campaign in the fourth phase.

Meanwhile, the district election officers (DEOs) have been directed to send polling personnel to polling booths on Sunday. They have been also instructed to provide necessary facilities to the voters and polling personnel at the booths.

The polling parties should be provided medical kits to protect them from heat, Rinwa said.

The DEOs have been also told to ensure that after the campaign ends, the leaders, office bearers and workers from other districts are not present in the constituency.