High-flying Amar Singh is a political celebrity but in making his lok Sabha electoral debut from Fatehpur Sikri constituency in Uttar Pradesh, he has chosen to ride on his Rajput caste equations to connect with the masses on a ground level. Posters labeling him as Thakur Amar Singh cover the length and breadth of this Mughal era settlement developed by Emperor Akbar.
But besides showcasing his Rajput tag, Amar Singh is also trying to woo the Muslims, Jats and the Kushwahas in the constituency that goes to polls on 24 April, Thursday. Sikri is considered traditionally to be a Jat-dominated lok Sabha seat of Western Uttar Pradesh, however a Brahmin face with allegiance to the BSP seems to make the going tough for Rajput and Jat candidates who are in the fray here. Just like any other city, Fatehpur Sikri too is not an alien to banners during the poll season where BJP poster boy Narendra Modi is omnipresent.
In the backdrop of drubbing the RlD received in the Assembly elections and the bitterness against the Akhilesh Yadav Government, BSP’s Seema Upadhyay seems to have an edge over other contestants. The contest, however, remains bipolar where Singh faces challenge from Upadhyay. Upadhya, who espouses the “Savarn” ideology, is credited with defeating Congress’ Raj Babbar in the 2009 lok Sabha election. The other contestants in the fray include former Uttar Pradesh Minister Chaudhary Babulal, who recently quit the RlD to join BJP and Pakshalika Singh of the Samajwadi Party (SP).
The demographic allegiance of Fatehpur Sikri constituency’s voters is difficult to gauge but the contestants are banking on their “dedicated” vote bank. While Amar Singh expects massive support from the 2.15 lakh strong Thakur community besides two lakh Jat votes being a RlD nominee, the presence of SP’s Pakshalika Singh, also a Thakur, is certain to divide the community’s votes. Two lakh Jat voters are also likely to be bartered between Singh and the BJP candidate who is a Jat. Singh is also banking on garnering “floating” votes through campaigns in his favour by Bollywood actors like Sri devi, Dimple Kapadia, actor-turned -politician Jaya Prada.
Being the lone Brahmin candidate, Seema Upadhyay is riding high on 1.9 lakh voters of her community besides the traditional 1.4 lakh Dalit perceived to be on BSP’s side. Split of Kushwahas and Muslim votes is also expected, adding to the uncertainties of the contest.
Singh, who is not in the pink of health, chose to launch his electoral debut through RlD which has entered into an alliance with ruling Congress and is presently a constituent of UPA Government. Singh chose the Sikri seat despite the RlD losing all the five Assembly seats — Agra rural, Bah, Fatehpur Sikri, Kheragarh and Fatehabad — part of Fatehpur Sikri lok Sabha constituency, in the 2012 UP Assembly polls. The BSP bagged four seats and SP could wrest just one.
Dilapidated roads, power outages and shortage of water remain the everlasting woes of the people of Fatherpur Sikri constituency. local economy is dominated by agriculture, carpet industry and tourism but it has not brought about the desired development in the area, according to the local residents.
“The city has always been ignored and you can see lack of complete development and ignorant attitude of the administration in restoring the heritage of this beautiful city built by Akbar. You will not imagine that there are some areas in the interiors where people are yet to see a power transformer,” said Atif Mohammad, a tourist guide.