• Source:JND
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The first phase of voting for the high-stakes Lok Sabha election will take place on April 19. As many as eight constituencies of Uttar Pradesh will go to the polls. The seats--Pilibhit, Saharanpur, Kairana, Muzaffarnagar, Bijnor, Nagina, Moradabad, and Rampur-- will see a direct fight between BJP and the INDIA bloc. With the saffron party facing the massive ire of the Rajput community over inadequate share, the dynamics of the area have remarkably changed. However, it will be important to see if the loss could be compensated with the induction of Jat community-backed RLD in the NDA.

Why Are Rajputs Unhappy With BJP:

The Rajput community, which is known to unanimously vote in favour of the BJP, is on a spree of holding ‘Mahapanchayats’ against the saffron party claiming that they were being overlooked by the top brass in ticket distribution. Moreover, the verbal spat between BJP’s Muzaffarnagar candidate Sanjeev Balyan, who is from the Jat community and Sangeet Som, a giant Rajput leader, has been adding to the woes of the party.

Sangeet Som and Sanjeev Balyan, two prominent figures in the state BJP, are engaged in a bitter feud over caste lines. Pic credit- Jagran.com

Rajput leaders in the area claim they were not given their share of seats despite having a sizable chunk of the population. The community has thus decided to boycott the BJP candidates in Muzaffarnagar, Kairana, and Saharanpur constituencies for the same reason.    

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RLD-BJP Last Moment Alliance And Consolidation Of Jat Votes:

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath with Rashtriya Lok Dal (RJD) Chief Jayant Chaudhary during an election campaign in Bagpat. ANI file

The BJP is eyeing to compensate for the harm of losing Rajput votes through consolidation of Jats in its favour. The RLD- BJP alliance and Jayant Singh’s fervid campaign in the western UP will indeed help the NDA alliance get a big chunk of Jat votes, especially in Muzaffarnagar and Kairana.  It is noteworthy that RLD’s Ajit Singh lost to BJP’s Sanjeev Balyan by a thin margin of 6,000 votes in the 2019 Lok Sabha election. Now with both parties contesting in alliance, the BJP is calling it a cakewalk for them.  

Mayawati Tries To Shed Away BJP B-Team Tag This Time:

The BSP’s candidate fielding this time, especially in the first phase, has clearly indicated that they had decided to create problems for the BJP. The Mayawati-led faction has this time given tickets to the people from communities known to back the BJP. Therefore, the divide in Muslim Community votes is unlikely to happen.      

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BJP’s Attempt To Douse Fire:

The BJP has been fervidly trying to pacify the pandemonium by fielding their prominent Rajput leaders for the damage control. Union Minister Rajnath Singh and UP CM Yogi Adityanath have been assigned the task of assuaging Rajputs. Both the leaders are holding big rallies across the seats going to polls in the first phase.