In the Gautam Buddh Nagar parliamentary constituency, farmers hold the key to one’s victory in the lok Sabha polls. The recent land acquisition row in Noida and Greater Noida and ambiguity over the land acquisition policy are going to be the determining factors in the constituency which comprises 70 per cent to 80 per cent farmers and rural population.
The Congress-RlD alliance, in a bid to lure the farmers of the region, has given ticket to their leader Rakesh Tikait from Amroha in western Uttar Pradesh.
Tikait has been spearheading the farmers’ agitation over land acquisition in Noida and Greater Noida. Political experts said by giving ticket to Tikait, the Congress nominee from here, Ramesh Chand Tomar is expecting the magic to work in his favour in Gautam Buddh (GB) Nagar too. On the other hand, the BJP has reposed faith in the tried-and-tested Dr Mahesh Sharma, a renowned doctor who commands popularity among the people of the region.
As the entire district has witnessed conflict between the farmers and local authorities in last several years, all political parties are trying to raise this burning issue to garner support of farmers who along with their families constitute 13 lakh votes.
The constituency has a total of 17.34 lakh voters. The farmers have been demanding six times increased compensation for their acquired lands and new policy for fresh acquisitions. The other issue being raised by peasants of the region is poor development of rural belts.
Meanwhile, the farmers are keeping cards close to their chest and waiting for concrete proposals from political parties to resolve the issue in the region. Candidates of all big parties, including Samajwadi Party (SP), BJP, Congress, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) have felt the pulse of people here and promptly mentioning the farmers’ demand in their election campaigns. The BSP has fielded Satish Awana, a Gujjar from GB Nagar. Apart from Modi wave, the BJP is taking refuge under BJP national president Rajnath Singh. On the contrary, the Congress is thriving on the land Acquisition Bill passed recently and granting OBC status to Jats.
During the last Assembly elections, the SP had promised to solve issues related to farmers and the party is seeking votes on the same issues again. The party has secured four Assembly seats from the region. While expressing their anger, the locals said after winning the elections, the SP did not move a step ahead to resolve the issue. Narendra Bhati is the SP candidate from the constituency. Meanwhile, the candidate of AAP, KP Singh, is also talking about their problems and blaming other parties for the abysmal condition of the farmers.
Dushyant Nagar, convener of Kisan Sangarsh Samiti (KSS), says that the farmers’ issues will definitely influence election result. “Though the Congress party has approached us first but we are talking with others also. We will support the candidate who will address our concerns,” said Nagar.