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Constituency/Jhansi

No clear favourites as local issues dominate

The Bharatiya Janata Party is facing a difficult multi-cornered contest in the Jhansi Lok Sabha seat. The party has been holding this seat since 1989.

However, under the changed political conditions, the base of various parties has shifted and this time the BJP nominee, and outgoing MP, Rajendra Agnihotri is being given a tough fight by the Congress, the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party candidates.

The BJP candidate also faces the resentment of his party workers who think he has not been up to the expectations of the electorate. Party infighting makes Agnihotri's task that much harder.

Campaigning in the constituency has picked up following the tour of Mulayam Singh Yadav and Mayawati. The constituency goes to the polls in Uttar Pradesh's first phase on September 18.

There are a total of 25 candidates in the fray here. Political observers here see no wave in favour of any particular party. This election like the previous ones is going to be dominated by local issues. Gone are the days when voters were influenced predominantly through dramatic and colourful speeches, posters, banners and the like.

The Congress has been doing poorly in the previous elections but this time there is evidence of the party having gained some ground, whether due to change of leadership or some other factors or both, is unclear. The party has fielded Sujan Singh Bundela.

The SP has once again fielded Hargovind Kushwaha who definitely has the advantage of having a clean image. The BSP has changed its candidate in this election and has fielded Jaiprakash Sahu. Though the constituency has a substantial population of Sahus, the BSP candidate has been put to some disadvantage as he has been chosen overlooking some senior partymen which has created resentment in the party.

Though caste equations favour the BSP in this constituency it has not been able to gain from it mainly because of its failure to win over the minority vote.

UNI

Constituency

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