Lalganj Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Tight Fight On as BJP Ahead in Campaigning But SP Scores on Caste

Lalganj is one of the 80 Lok Sabha constituencies in Uttar Pradesh. Presently, the Lalganj Lok Sabha constituency comprises five Legislative Assembly segments, all of which are located in the Azamgarh district. These are — Atraulia, Nizamabad, Phoolpur Pawai, Didarganj and Lalganj. The Samajwadi Party (SP) has been representing all these segments in the Legislative Assembly since the 2022 state elections.

Current MP: Sangeeta Azad (BSP) (She recently quit the BSP and joined the BJP)

Top Contenders: Neelam Sonkar (BJP), Daroga Prasad Saroj (SP), Dr Indu Choudhary (BSP)

Date of Polling: May 25, 2024 (Phase VI)

Political Dynamics

• BJP Eyes a 2014 Repeat: The BJP was never really a dominating political force in Lalganj. Although the saffron party won the seat in 2014, that was largely due to the Modi wave sweeping the country and voters in Lalganj, like the rest of the nation, seeking a desperate change at the Centre. However, the BJP was not able to replicate its 2014 victory in 2019, which led to the BSP’s Sangeeta Azad winning the constituency by a margin of 1.61 lakh votes. In 2019, the BSP was in an alliance with the SP, which is why it comfortably sailed through in Lalganj.
• The BJP is making yet another determined push to wrest control of Lalganj, so much so that it inducted sitting MP Sangeeta Azad from the BSP into its ranks. Sangeeta Azad’s entry into the BJP was seen as a big victory in terms of optics for the saffron party. Sangeeta Aad is largely seen as a towering Dalit leader in Purvanchal. However, the past five years have seen considerable anti-incumbency build up against her in Lalganj, which is why the BJP chose not to field her this time.
• The fight for Lalganj is now largely between the SP and BJP, even as the BSP is expected to dent the Samajwadi voter base. However, the impact of the BSP is expected to be limited in this election.
• The caste arithmetic in Lalganj is not in the BJP’s favour, which is why on the ground, there is a perception that the Samajwadi Party has taken the lead. Adding to its woes is the fact that the saffron camp is not being able to put up a united front and is being bogged down by internal tussles and factionalism. Most of these relate with the party’s decision to field Neelam Sonkar once again, despite her losing to the BSP in 2019. Sonkar’s candidature has reportedly upset the Savarnas in Lalganj.
• In terms of campaign visibility, the BJP appears to be ahead of the Samajwadi Party, with senior BJP leaders and functionaries campaigning on behalf of Sonkar. However, the BJP’s core vote base is simply not sufficient to make the party win in Lalganj. For that, the saffron party must break into the SP’s caste-driven support bases, while also ensuring that those who do not usually associate with any party vote for it.
• Some backward castes, like the Mauryas, are rethinking their support for the BJP. Keshav Prasad Maurya’s defeat and the alleged sabotage campaign that was unleashed in 2022 against him by BJP’s Vinod Sonkar is believed to be one major reason for this shift. Meanwhile, Swami Prasad Maurya’s party has extended its support to the Congress in Barabanki, further adding fuel to speculations that the Maurya voter could abandon the BJP this election.
• Caste is Samajwadi Party’s Hail Mary: The Samajwadi Party has fielded Daroga Prasad Saroj, who is a senior leader and knows the ins and outs of Lalganj constituency and its five assembly segments.
• The SP, unlike the BJP, is not facing any internal tussles and nor reports of factionalism have come to the fore so far. The party is rallying behind Daroga Prasad Saroj to ensure he wins. This is also because Saroj is the only viable candidate SP has in Lalganj, considering the fact that the constituency is reserved for Scheduled Castes.
• The Samajwadi Party is the only political outfit that can comprehensively challenge the BJP in Lalganj today. In 2019 too, the BSP had won primarily due to the Samajwadi Party’s backing. This time though, the SP is in an alliance with the Congress. However, neither Rahul Gandhi nor the Congress as a whole are going to have any impact here.
• In many ways, Lalganj can be considered a Samajwadi stronghold. The fact that the SP has hold over all the five assembly segments here is providing it with an upper hand over the BJP.
• The party is dependent entirely on caste-driven politics. Its candidate is a Pasi, so the SP is expecting votes from this caste, while it also has its traditional Muslim-Yadav formula to rely on. Some backward castes could move towards the SP too, and the party is expected to haul in significant numbers of Dalit votes as well.
• The BSP is expected to marginally hurt the SP’s vote share. Although ground inputs suggest that the BSP is not in a position to emerge as a significant vote-cutter, there is a possibility that Mayawati’s party could attract some pro-SP Muslim voters to its side.
• Overall, the Samajwadi Party appears to be in the lead in Lalganj. However, PM Modi’s campaign could galvanise BJP’s support base apart from also pushing the party’s cadre to ensure its supporters come out to vote.

Key Constituency Issues

• Electricity Issues: Electricity has been a major issue in Lalganj. Crumbling power supply infrastructure has not just made electricity supply inadequate and irregular but has also become a death trap for citizens. Wires dangling from electric poles have become a hazard and so have the electric poles which have not been repaired or maintained.
• There’s also lack of transformers to regulate the flow of electricity which leads to circuit shortages and overloading on a regular basis. In
• the rural areas, wires and electric poles have not been upgraded for over 20 years now and have been left in a dilapidated condition.
• Road Connectivity: Lalganj is a majority rural area and according to ground reports, the condition of roads in the area is abysmal. There is an absence of all-weather roads, and those that do exist are filled with potholes or are crumbling away which leads to hassles for people. During the monsoon season, the rains wash away the mud roads making it impossible to travel within the region.
• Healthcare: Healthcare infrastructure in the region lies in a dilapidated state. Health centres do not have adequate staff, with some run by just a nurse or even by just a chemist without a doctor.
• Moreover, the building of the healthcare centre in Lalganj city has been lying idle, partly built. Work had stopped on the building after the SP government lost power. Moreover, due to the condition of roads, people with major healthcare issues find it difficult to travel to other areas with better healthcare facilities.
• Unemployment: The lack of jobs in Lalganj is a real problem. Without big industries, opportunities are limited. Agriculture is the only major source of income, however, due to issues pertaining to irrigation, rising prices and delayed compensation, the youth are being driven away.
• In search of better opportunities, a majority of the youth have migrated towards urban centres such as Lucknow, Delhi or even as far as Maharashtra and Gujarat.
• Farmer Issues: Farming in the region is hampered by a lack of essential infrastructure, leading to increased labour intensity. Insufficient irrigation systems, coupled with rising electricity, water, and fertiliser costs, place a significant burden on farmers.
• Small-scale farmers are disproportionately affected, as they lack the resources to navigate the complex government procurement processes and are often forced to sell their produce to local traders at lower prices.
• This results in reduced profits, sometimes even losses, further escalating their debt burden, particularly for those who rely on loans from local moneylenders with high interest rates.
• There is a growing demand for increased Minimum Support Prices (MSP) for agricultural produce, as well as timely compensation for crop failures, to alleviate the financial strain on farmers.
• Encroachment: The market area of Nagar Panchayat Lalganj, situated on the Varanasi-Lucknow Highway, is experiencing significant encroachment issues.
• Encroachments extend to roadside drains, affecting a kilometre-long stretch from the Tehsil Headquarters to the Chowk, Hanuman Mandir, Community Health Center, and Sangam intersection.
• Two-wheeler, four-wheeler, and handcart vendors occupy the highway, while shopkeepers utilise the drain slabs for their businesses. The situation worsens during the weekly market, with the Chowk area particularly affected.
• This persistent encroachment obstructs pedestrian movement and creates difficulties for commuters, including employees of government and non-government institutions, local residents, and school children.

Demographics

Total Voters: 1749892

Social composition

SC: 451,472 (25.8%)

ST: 1,750 (0.1%)

Geographical Composition

Urban Voters: 55,997 (3.2%)

Rural Voters: 1,693,895 (96.8%)

Religious Composition

Hindu: 84.1%

Muslim: 15.5%

Infrastructure Development

• Railway Infrastructure: The Lalganj parliamentary constituency saw some improvements to its railway stations in recent years. All stations and halts along the Didarganj Road line were equipped with LED lighting at a cost of Rs 7 lakh.
• Amenities for passengers with disabilities were added at various stations within the Varanasi division, costing Rs 5 lakh. Meanwhile, a project to add a second track to the Phephna-Indara and Mau-Shahganj route was also underway, excluding the existing Indara-Mau line.
• This work, covering a distance of 150.28 kilometres, carried a price tag of Rs 10,289.5 lakh.
• Amrit Bharat: Lalganj railway station is part of the Amrit Bharat Station upgradation program of the Central government. It will help improve the passenger facilities in the region and will also improve rail connectivity opening the region for economic development.
• Purvanchal Expressway: Purvanchal Expressway has given pace to the growth of Lalganj. Now, one can reach Lucknow from here in only two hours and Delhi in seven hours. Purvanchal Expressway is going to open to provide much needed connectivity in the region and has the ability to usher in economic development.
• Widening of Unnao-Lalganj NH31 Section: Upgradation of National Highway (NH) stretch under NHDP-IVB (Bharatmala Pariyojana) for Unnao-Lalganj section of new NH-31 (old NH-232A), on HAM in Uttar Pradesh has been completed to improve connectivity and ease congestion. It was built at a cost of Rs 1602 crore.

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