LS phase 5: BJP faces MGB heat in 7 UP seats

New Delhi, May 2 (IANS) The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is facing a tough challenge from the Mahagathbandhan (MGB) on seven of the 12 seats in Uttar Pradesh in the next phase of the Lok Sabha polls.

Polling will be held on 14 seats, the highest so far in the state, in phase 5 on May 6. The BJP had swept this central region winning 12 seats while the Congress had retained Amethi and Rae Bareli, the Gandhi family strongholds.

If the votes polled by the MGB constituents Samajwadi Party (SP) and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) in 2014 -- when they had contested separately -- are taken into account, the BJP's road to victory will become tougher in at least seven seats which it had won last time.

If SP and BSP are able to hold on to their committed voters, the going will be tougher for the BJP in Bahraich, Mohanlalganj, Sitapur, Kaisarganj, Kaushambhi, Banda and Dhaurahra. The BJP can effectively tackle the MGB factor in Gonda, Faizabad, Lucknow, Barabanki and Fatehpur.

The phase is crucial for the Congress as well, as fate of several of its leaders is on line, including party president Rahul Gandhi and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi. Prominent young Congress leader Jitin Prasada is facing a tough battle in Dhaurhara, a seat he has represented twice in the past. Another senior leader P.L. Punia's son Tanuj is locked in a multi-cornered battle in Barabanki.

However, there is a twist in political tale on some seats compared to 2014. In Bahraich, Sadhvi Savitri Bai Foole, who had won on a BJP ticket in 2014 is contesting as the Congress candidate.

In Barabanki, the BJP has not given ticket to sitting MP Priyanka Singh Rawat and gone for MLA Upendra Rawat. The MGB has fielded four time MP Ram Sagar Rawat from this seat.

Even though considered to be an SP stronghold, the BJP seems to have an advantage in the Barabanki battle. The party had got 45,4211 votes in 2014 compared to BSP's 1,67,150 and SP's 1,50,284. The Congress' P.L. Punia had polled 2,42,336. With Congress remaining out of MGB, it is advantage BJP.

Voting will also be held in politically sensitive Faizabad in Awadh from where the BJP has fielded sitting MP Lallu Singh, who will face tough challenge from MGB and the Congress.

Apart from taking on the MGB in the rest of the seats, the BJP is giving tough fight to Rahul Gandhi in Amethi. Gandhi had defeated Smriti Irani of BJP by 1,07,903 votes. He had got 46.71 per cent votes and Irani polled 34.38 per cent. BSP candidate Dharmendra Pratap Singh had got 57,716. This time, it is a direct contest between Congress and the BJP.

The battle for Sonia Gandhi, though appeared to be smooth, who had polled 5,26,434 votes and had won with a margin of over 3.5 lakh against her rivals Ajay Agrawal of the BJP and Pravesh Singh of BSP. BJP has fielded ex-Congress leader Dinesh Pratap Singh against her.

Four seats in phase 5 -- Mohanlalganj, Kaushambi, Barabanki and Bahraich -- are reserved.

Uttar Pradesh phase 5 LS poll equation

Fatehpur (2014)

Winner- Niranjan Jyoti -- BJP -- votes polled 4,85,994
Afzal Siddiqui -- BSP -- 2,98,788
Rakesh Sachan -- SP -- 1,79,724
SP+BSP = 4,78,512
Advantage: BJP

Candidates in 2019

Niranjan Jyoti -- BJP
Rakesh Sachan -- UPA
Sukhdev Prasad Verma -- MGB
Mahesh Chandra Sahu -- PDA (Shivpal Yadav's Progressive Democratic Alliance)

Banda (2014)

Winner -- Bhairon Prasad Mishra -- BJP -- 3,42,066
Bal Kumar Patel alias Rajkumar -- SP -- 1,89,730
R.K Singh Patel -- BSP -- 2,26,278
SP+BSP = 4,16,008

Advantage: MGB

Contestants in 2019

R.K Singh Patel -- BJP
Bal Kumar Patel -- UPA
Shyama Charan Gupta -- MGB
Sunita Devi -- PDA

Lucknow (2014)

Winner: Rajnath Singh -- BJP -- 5,61,196
Rita Bahuguna -- INC -- 2,88,357
Abhishek Mishra -- SP -- 56,771
Nakul Dubey -- BSP -- 64,449

SP+BSP=1,21,220

Advantage: BJP

Contestants in 2019

Rajnath Singh -- BJP
Poonam Sinha -- MGB
Dr. Ramesh Kumar Thukral -- PDA

Barabanki 2014

Winner: Priyanka Singh Rawat - BJP -- 4,54,211
Kamla Prasad Rawat -- BSP -- 1,67,150
P.L. Punia