Despite being associated with the ‘jinx’, which many considered to have ended the careers of Chief Ministers in Uttar Pradesh, including Mayawati, Yogi Adityanath has held his fort despite having made visits to Noida, soon after he assumed the CM’s chair in 2017.
He became the first CM of the State to return after completing a five years term and breaking the ‘Noida jinx’ in the 2022 Assembly polls. The popular NCR city, which falls under the Gautam Buddha Nagar seat, will go to elections on Friday in the second phase of Lok Sabha elections 2024.
Previously under Khurja Lok Sabha, the Gautam Buddha Nagar Lok Sabha constituency was established in 2008 on the recommendation of the Delimitation Commission of India, is set to witness a three way contest between BJP, SP and BSP for the upcoming elections on April 26.
In the upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the electoral contest will primarily feature the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), the Samajwadi Party (SP)-led INDIA Bloc and the BSP. As many as 15 candidates are in the fray to secure the seat with BJP MP Mahesh Sharma, a two-time winner from this seat in Uttar Pradesh, in the battle for the third time.
This new constituency covers Bulandshahar and Gautam Buddha Nagar districts and comprises five Vidhan Sabha constituencies: Noida, Jewar, Dadri, Sikandrabad, and Khurja.
The SP, which is part of the Opposition INDIA alliance, has fielded Mahendra Singh Nagar, a seasoned politician who served as the Congress district president from 1999 to 2016 before joining the SP in 2022. On the other hand, representing the BSP is Rajendra Singh Solanki, who recently joined the party.
Solanki, a former MLA from Bulandshahr, brings substantial political experience, having been associated with both the BJP and the Congress in the past.
Gautam Buddha Nagar has witnessed three Lok Sabha elections so far. The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) won the inaugural elections in 2009, followed by consecutive victories for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in 2014 and 2019, establishing it as their stronghold.
BJP’s Sharma, who has also served as a Minister of State for Culture and Tourism and Civil Aviation, emerged victorious in both 2019 and 2014. Additionally, he is the richest candidate in the contest with assets worth Rs 83.82 crore as per his filed affidavit. SP candidate has declared assets of Rs 8.76 crore and BSP candidate Solanki has declared assets of Rs 8.44 crore. Voter turnout stood at 13.89 lakh out of 22.97 lakh in 2019, and 11.94 lakh out of 19.86 lakh in 2014. The upper expenditure limit for candidates is Rs 95 lakh, as per Election Commission guidelines.
While there were initially a total of 34 contenders, which includes 25 Independents, only 15 are still contesting following the rejection of 19 applications post-scrutiny. No candidate withdrew their nomination by the deadline. It is said that the Gujjar community in Noida has a political influence, especially in Greater Noida.
Unhappy over the issue of pending registries, homebuyers and residents of several group housing societies in Noida and Greater Noida West have launched a “No Registry, No Vote” campaign ahead of these elections.
The number of voters in the constituency has gone significantly up compared to the last election cycle. According to officials, a total of 26,20,040 voters will be casting votes this time, up from 22.97 lakh in 2019, which is a considerable increase of over 3 Lakh voters. The Gautam Buddh Nagar constituency comprises five Assembly constituencies which include Noida, Dadri, Jewar, Khurja, and Sikandrabad. Khurja and Sikandrabad, even though they are located in the adjoining Bulandshahr district, form a part of the Gautam Buddh Nagar Lok Sabha constituency.
The total number of voters as of March 15 in Noida is 7,59,418 voters, which comprises 4,25,521 males, 3,33,885 female and 12 third gender. The election process started with the issuance of notification on March 28, in which candidates had until April 4 to file their nominations. Withdrawals could be made until April 8.
The number of voters is 7,04,502 in Dadri and 3,67,046 in Jewar. Additionally, Sikandrabad has 3,97,500 voters and Khurja 3,91,574. The total number of voters in Gautam Buddh Nagar district stands at 18,30,966 barring parts of Bulandshahr. This diverse electorate includes 102 third-gender voters, 10,08,345 men, and 8,22,519 women. The seat comprises 10,502 differently-abled voters, 24,223 first-time voters, 26,353 individuals aged 80 years or above, and 2,906 service voters.
There are a total of 1,826 polling booths in Gautam Buddh Nagar, out of which 51 have been designated as ‘model booths’, with seven being managed entirely by women, and four by divyangs (persons with disabilities). Additionally, young officers and personnel will be in charge of five booths. Moreover, seven additional polling booths, in Sector 78 The Manthan School, Kidzee PreSchool Sector 116, community centre Sector 72, Our Little Wonder Sector 116, community centre Sector 122, club house Prateek Laurel Sector 120 and club house Jaypee Wish Town Sector 128, will be set up in Noida constituency.
In a bid to conduct smooth elections, the district has been divided into 120 sectors and 26 zones of which 342 sensitive booths have been identified for special attention. Additionally, more than 5,000 police personnel from the commissionerate will be deployed for election duty, along with personnel from paramilitary forces, Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC), civil police, home guards, and local security guards.
To monitor expenditure, nine static surveillance teams, nine flying squads, three video surveillance teams, three video-viewing teams, and three assistance expenditure observers will be deployed across Noida, Dadri, and Jewar. Authorities will ensure free, fair, and incident-free polls with maximum voter turnout.
