Lucknow / Kanpur: Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) has changed its candidate in Sisamau Assembly constituency and has bet on a Brahmin candidate. BSP has declared retired spokesperson Virendra Kumar Shukla as its new candidate. Shukla has been active in teachers’ union politics for a long time. Earlier, BSP had made him a candidate for district panchayat member from Sandalpur in Kanpur Dehat, but that seat was reserved for Scheduled Castes and Tribes.
First Ravi Gupta, then Sapna Gupta and now Virendra Shukla
BSP had earlier made Ravi Gupta its candidate for Sisamau seat. Later, there was a consensus on giving ticket to his wife Sapna Gupta. However, late on Tuesday evening, BSP took a sudden decision and declared Virendra Kumar Shukla as the candidate in place of Sapna Gupta.
Active in teacher politics for thirty years
Virendra Kumar Shukla, a resident of Ambedkarpuram Awas Vikas, Kalyanpur, has retired from the post of English spokesperson in BNSD Shiksha Niketan Chunniganj. He has been active in teacher politics for the last 30 years. He has also served as the president of the college unit under the Sharma faction in the Teachers’ Union. Apart from this, he has also held the post of vice-president and joint secretary in the metropolitan unit.
BSP’s electoral equation
BSP district president Rajkumar Captain said that Virendra Kumar Shukla’s name was already included in the panel sent for Sisamau assembly constituency, so this decision is not sudden. BSP supremo Mayawati has decided to change the candidate keeping in mind the electoral equations. The path to victory on this seat is entangled between Muslim, Brahmin and Dalit voters.
Challenges for BJP and SP
BJP won this seat for the first time in 1991, but since 2012, it has been occupied by the Samajwadi Party. The votes received from Sisamau area in the Lok Sabha elections held this year made it clear that this seat still remains challenging for the BJP. At the same time, it may be difficult for the BSP to retain its core voters, especially when the Congress is in alliance with the SP.
Voter class of Sisamau seat
Sisamau assembly constituency has a total of 2,69,770 voters, of which about 1,10,000 are Muslim voters. At the same time, the number of Brahmin and Scheduled Caste voters is around 60,000-60,000. This time the BJP has focused especially on Scheduled Caste settlements.
BJP’s strategy
For the Sisamau seat, BJP’s in-charge Finance Minister Suresh Khanna and co-in-charge Excise Minister of State Nitin Agarwal are constantly contacting the Scheduled Caste settlements. At the same time, MP Ramesh Awasthi has tried to solve the problems of the local people by organizing five Jan Chaupals. This time the election battle on the Sisamau seat seems to be interesting, in which every party is trying to woo its own vote bank.