A month ahead of the completion of one year of Yogi Adityanath government in the state, the political landscape heated up with the Election Commission of India (ECI) announcing the schedule for bypoll to two lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh. The Yogi government will complete one year in office on March 19.
The polling for by-elections to Gorakhpur and Phulpur (Allahabad) lok Sabha seats, vacated respectively by CM Adityanath Yogi and Deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya, will be held on March 11. A notification for both seats will be issued by the poll panel on February 13 and counting of votes will be held on March 14.
The Model Code of Conduct would be imposed in two districts with effect from the date of notification. The process of filing nomination papers would take off on February 20.
The byelection to the two lok Sabha constituencies is of huge significance as opposition parties including SP, BSP and Congress have been trying hard to stitch a bigger alliance to take on the mighty BJP ahead of 2019 lok Sabha polls.
Gorakhpur is essentially crucial as it happens to be the home turf of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. It is hence a matter of prestige for the BJP as the performance there would be taken as a referendum on Yogi’s performance as Chief Minister.
After the debacle of BJP in Rajasthan by polls last week, where it lost bypoll to two lok Sabha seats and an Assembly seat to the Congress, the ruling BJP is leaving no stone unturned for retaining both the seats vacated by its members in UP.
In the last bypolls to Sikandra Assembly seat in Kanpur Dehat in December last year, the BJP managed to retain it with a lower margin than it won in March 2017 polls. In Urban local Bodies poll in November last year, the BSP won to Mayoral seats out of the 16 with the rest going to the BJP.
Meanwhile, the Election Commission said that ministers - Central or state - should not combine in any manner their official tours with election work after notification of bypoll.
The Gorakhpur lok Sabha seat has five Assembly segments all represented by BJP and the seat has been represented by BJP since 1989 while Yogi Adityanath has represented it since 1998. In the 2014 lok Sabha elections, Yogi won the seat by over three lakh votes, bagging over 51 per cent votes.
In Phulpur lok Sabha seat, Keshav Prasad Maurya won by a landslide margin of over three lakh votes in 2014, bagging 52 per cent votes. The seat has been represented by former PM Jawaharlal lal Nehru (thrice), Vishwanath Pratap Singh and other stalwart like Vijay laxmi Pandit, Janeshwar Mishra and Kamla Bahuguna. All five Assembly segments of Phulpur seat had been won by BJP and its ally Apna Dal in the 2017 Assembly polls.
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PNS | lucknow
Clearing the air on his wife being fielded from his constituency in the lok Sabha bypoll, Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya said that no one from his family would contest the Phulpur lok Sabha bypoll slated on March 11. Maurya said this while speaking to media persons in Vidhan Bhawan on Friday.
Maurya said that the BJP will win the by-elections comfortably and the opposition would again face humiliation like they suffered during Assembly and lok Sabha polls.
Earlier it was reported that Maurya’s wife or his son might contest Phulpur Parliamentary seat as the BJP candidate.
Senior BJP leaders had voiced their opposition and there was a fear of revolt within the party if any family member was given ticket.
The Election Commission on Friday announced the schedule of bypolls to Gorakhpur and Phulpur lok Sabha polls on March 11.
Phulpur lok Sabha seat was vacated by Maurya after being nominated as Deputy CM of Uttar Pradesh in March last and later in September, he was elected to the legislative Council after which he resigned from the lok Sabha.
Similarly, Gorakhpur lok Sabha seat was vacated by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath after becoming the member of the Upper House.
On being asked about the government’s move to set up ‘Gaushalas’ in the jails, the Deputy CM said that it was a good move, though he was not aware of the details.
There are reports that government may set up gaushalas in jails where abandoned cows could be taken care of.