Ghazipur, Chandauli heat up last phase of polls

Political dynamics in Ghazipur and Chandauli: BSP's sway, BJP's strategy, and SP's countermoves shape electoral battlegrounds in Uttar Pradesh.

- RAHUL GAHLAWAT

Ghazipur, also known as ‘Lahuri Kashi’ (in the local dialect, ‘lahuri’ means small and similar to Kashi, the Ganga flows northward here as well), is an important town that lies in the districts of Purvanchal (eastern) Uttar Pradesh and has a very illustrious history. During British times, it was also famous for the cultivation of opium. Since 1952, this seat has seen members of Congress, Janata Dal, the Communist Party of India, independents, and the Bharatiya Janata Party’s candidates being elected as MPs.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Afzal Ansari won here on a Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) ticket, defeating the BJP’s prominent leader, Manoj Sinha. Afzal Ansari has now joined the Samajwadi Party (SP). The SP has declared him their candidate for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. While Manoj Sinha has assumed charge of Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, the BJP has fielded Paras Nath Rai, a teacher

with long-standing ties to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and a close associate of LG Manoj Sinha, while BSP has fielded Umesh Singh. “In 2014, when Ghazipur elected BJP MP, Manoj Sinha, it resulted in the improvement of rail connectivity in the area, while little or no work has been done in the last five years,” said local Mukesh Singh. He asserted that the roads both in the city and on the outskirts are in poor condition. He expounded on Gadkari’s work in making expressways in the whole country, and the lackadaisical approach of the incumbent MP Afzal Ansari. He added that no new industry has come up and the SP-BSP coalition did not provide jobs either.