SP goes all out to regain 'real fortress' Azamgarh from BJP

Azamgarh: Former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav while campaigning for his cousin Dharmendra Yadav at Baithouli on Wednesday described Azamgarh as the "asli garh (real fortress)" of his Samajwadi Party that is trying to regain this Lok Sabha seat from BJP.

He also said Azamgarh is "home" like Kannauj, Mainpuri and Etawah. While Akhilesh is contesting from Kannauj, his wife Dimple Yadav is in the fray from Mainpuri, and Etawah is his native district.

Azamgarh is indeed known as a political platform for SP to spread its foothold in eastern UP. But BJP grabbed it from SP in the June 2022 byelections after Akhilesh resigned as Lok Sabha MP from here following his win in the state assembly elections.

While sitting MP, BJP's Dinesh Lal Yadav 'Nirahua', a Bhojpuri film actor, is looking to repeat his 2022 win over Dharmendra Yadav, SP is confident about regaining its 'fortress' with its leaders claiming it has corrected its political equations here.

Akhilesh has now befriended Guddu Jamali, who bagged a considerable number of Muslim votes as BSP nominee in the 2022 byelection, thus weakening SP's hold among Muslims. Jamali is now an SP member in the UP legislative council.

Jamali, a native of Azamgarh, is now spending sleepless nights to persuade Muslims in the area to back the SP candidate and not BSP candidate Mashhood Alam.

What boosts SP's confidence in Azamgarh - where its two strong traditional support bases, Muslims and Yadavs, together account for about 40% of the electorate - is that BSP's Alam is a little-known face in the area.

Interestingly, all three major contenders - BJP, SP and BSP - have strong vote bases in Azamgarh in the form of Most Backward Classes, Yadavs and Scheduled Castes, respectively.

While BSP looks to woo away Muslim votes from SP for its success in this seat, BJP's chances here depend on its ability to make a dent into Yadav votes besides maintaining its popularity among MBCs like Chauhans, Rajbhars and Nishads.

"Unlike the June 2022 byelection, the situation has undergone a change and SP is trying hard to keep its support base among Muslim voters intact," Habib, a voter, told ET in Shahgarh market. "The party is doing well in the LS polls," he added.

Habib expressed confidence about the full support of his community for SP in this election. Alerted by its past mistakes, SP is not leaving anything to chance. All the prominent members of party founder and former chief minister Mulayam Singh Yadav are camping in Azamgarh now.

While Shivpal Yadav is touring villages, Ram Gopal Yadav is reviewing organisational works here. Akhilesh's wife Dimple has been addressing meetings and his cousins like Akashay Yadav, who is contesting from Firozabad, and Aditya, the party's candidate from Badaun, have also reached Azamgarh.

However, BJP camp is still hopeful of bagging Yadav votes. "Despite the presence of Mulayam's whole family, BJP will repeat its performance of the June 2022 byelection," the party's Azamgarh unit vice-president Brijesh Yadav told ET.

Madhya Pradesh chief minister Mohan Yadav, who visited Azamgarh about three months ago and interacted with party workers, held a roadshow here on Thursday.

BJP also banks on the development works done in Azamgarh in the last two years after the party's victory in the byelection. A new university, a forensic science laboratory, Atal Awasiya Vidyalaya, Music college and Azamgarh's rail connectivity with Gorakhpur are highlighted during the party's campaign.

Apart from UP minister Dara Singh Chauhan, Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party (an ally of BJP) chief Om Prakash Rajbhar is also frequently visiting Azamgarh to seek vote for 'Nirahua'.