Lucknow, 9 May (HS): Voting will be held on 13 seats of Uttar Pradesh in the fourth phase of the 18th Lok Sabha elections. In the last general elections, Congress had fielded candidates on 67 seats in Uttar Pradesh.
Congress was successful in winning only Rae Bareli seat. There is an alliance of Congress-SP in the 2024 elections. Under the alliance, Congress is contesting on 17 seats. Congress candidates are contesting on two seats in the fourth phase of elections. In the last elections, their deposit was forfeited on one of the two seats. It is worth mentioning that BJP had won all the 13 seats in the 2019 elections.
Situation of 2019 elections: Out of the 13 seats for which elections are to be held in the fourth phase in the 2024 elections, Congress had not fielded its candidate in the last election on Kannauj parliamentary seat.
In the 2019 general elections, Congress candidate Brahmswaroop Sagar stood third in Shahjahanpur (SC) seat by getting 2.93 percent votes. Congress candidate's security deposit confiscated: Congress candidate Zafar Iqbal Naqvi got 8.11 percent votes on Kheri parliamentary seat. The Congress candidate who stood third failed to save his deposit.
In Dhaurahara seat, Congress candidate Kunwar Jitin Prasad stood third with 15.31 percent votes. Former union Minister Jitin Prasad failed to save his deposit. The deposit of Congress candidate Qaiser Jahan from Sitapur parliamentary seat was confiscated. The Congress candidate stood third by getting 9.01 percent votes. Congress's vote share in Hardoi (SC) seat was 1.89 percent. Congress candidate Virendra Kumar's deposit was forfeited, and he finished third. Congress candidate Manjari Rai got 2.58 percent votes in Mishrikh (SC) parliamentary seat. Manjari finished third and failed to save the deposit.
Congress candidate from Unnao parliamentary seat, former MP Annu Tandon, got 15.00 percent votes. Annu Tandon's deposit was forfeited and she stood third. Former union Minister Salman Khurshid was in the fray from Farrukhabad seat. Salman stood third with only 5.51 percent votes. Salman Khurshid's deposit confiscated.
From Etawah (SC) seat, Congress candidate Ashok Kumar Dore stood third. Ashok lost his deposit after getting 1.61 percent votes. Former union Minister Shriprakash Jaiswal was contesting from Kanpur seat on Congress ticket. Sriprakash stood second by getting 37.11 percent votes.
The deposit of Congress candidate on Akbarpur seat was confiscated. The Congress candidate stood third by getting 10.55 percent votes. Congress had fielded former MP Savitri Bai Phule as its candidate from Bahraich (SC) parliamentary seat. Savitri Bai's bail was confiscated. Congress candidates stood third after getting 3.48 percent votes.
Congress candidates on two seats in the 2024 elections: In the 2024 general elections, candidates are in the fray on Congress tickets from two seats in the fourth phase, Sitapur and Kanpur. On the remaining 15 seats, candidates from Congress's ally Samajwadi Party are in the electoral fray. Congress has fielded Rakesh Rathore from Sitapur parliamentary seat. Congress had won its last election on this seat 30 years ago in 1989.
In the then election, Congress candidate Rajendra Kumari Bajpai reached Parliament after getting 34.96 percent votes. This time Congress has given ticket to new face Alok Mishra from Kanpur. In the 2019 elections, former union Minister Shriprakash Jaiswal had saved his deposit by finishing second. Shri Prakash Jaiswal of Congress was MP on this seat twice. Congress had hoisted the flag of victory on this seat in 2009. Congress had not fielded a candidate on the Kannauj seat.
In the last elections, although its vote share declined, it won only one seat. At the same time, its big leader Rahul Gandhi also lost the election from Amethi. BJP is standing as a big challenge in the way of Congress's victory in the 2024 elections. At the same time, Bahujan Samaj Party has increased the problems of Congress by entering the field alone.
Hindusthan Samachar/Abhishek Awasthi/Manoj