Muslim-Yadav equation being put to test in battle of prestige in Mulayam’s Lok Sabha seat

In 2012, a civil services trainer Shujauddin voted for the Samajwadi Party as he believed it was “sympathetic” to Muslims. This time, however, he has no qualms about declaring that he was going to vote for the BSP.

If Shujauddin is peeved at the veteran SP MLA (from Nizamabad) Alam Badi after the Muzafarrnagar riots, his larger resentment stems from the failure of the Akhilesh Yadav government in delivering on the promises it made to Muslims. “From 2012 to 2017, all we saw were internal fights, riots and law and order problems. Let’s give the BSP a chance,” says Shujauddin.

Shujauddin hails from Shanjarpur, which gained notoriety after two youth from the village were shot dead in the Batla House encounter in 2008. Over the years, the village has seen many local youths being accused of terror activities.

Today, a talking point of the village is the failure of the SP government to release innocent Muslim youths lodged in jails on false terror charges, as promised by Mulayam Singh in the party’s last manifesto. “Instead, they went to court and challenged the acquittals,” says Tariq Shafique, an activist. “The SP boasts that it started a new sugar mill in Azamgarh, but not a single Yadav has got a job there yet.” Shafique too has shifted loyalty to the BSP.

Like many Muslims here, Shafique prefers to vote for the BSP’s candidate Chandradev Yadav, rather than the sitting SP MLA and fellow Muslim Alam Badi. In the last elections, the SP registered a thumping win in Azamgarh district, securing nine of the 10 seats. If the BSP is posing a tough challenge to it in Nizamabad, the SP is on a sticky wicket this time in many other seats as well.

Azamgarh is the Lok Sabha constituency of Mulayam Singh. Apart from prestige, the SP’s Muslim-Yadav samikaran or equation will also be put to test.

In the Phoolpur-Pawai seat, the BSP’s Abul Kais Azami, who emerged second in the last elections, appears to be in a strong position this time. If the SP is hoping to consolidate its margin after its alliance with the Congress, the BSP has got a fillip with a regional outfit Rashtriya Ulema Council (RUC) extending support. In the last election, the RUC got around 8,000 votes in Phoolpur-Pawai and over 1.55 lakh votes in the 64 seats it contested. RUC president Maulana Aamir Rashadi has raised the pitch against the SP and is holding several meetings daily to draw Muslims to the BSP. “Our slogan is UP ko yeh baat pasand hai. Dalit Muslim ka saath pasand hai. With our support, the BSP will rout the SP in Purvanchal,” says Mr. Rashadi, who unsuccessfully contested the Lok Sabha elections against Mulayam Singh in 2014. The BJP, which stood fourth here last time, looks set to make a big jump this time with the nomination of Arun Yadav, son of Yadav strongman and former Azamgarh MP Ramakant Yadav.

Swing factor

Another factor that could work in favour of the BSP is its induction of tainted MLA Mukhtar Ansari and his family. The Ansaris have immense clout, especially among the poor and Muslims, in Mau, Ghazipur, Ballia and parts of Azamgarh.

In the Gopalpur seat, the SP again faces a tricky situation. The party candidate here is Nafees Ahmed. The sitting MLA and Minister Waseem Ahmed was denied ticket, sources say, due to his proximity to Shivpal Yadav and his rivalry with SP leader Abu Azmi. The BSP’s Kamla Prasad Yadav hopes to make a difference here with the support of the RUC and QED, which together got 13,000 votes in Gopalpur last time.

In Atrauliya, Sangram Yadav, sitting MLA and son of senior Minister Balram Yadav, is facing a tough challenge from the BJP’s Kanhaiya Lal, a Nishad, and BSP’s Akhand Pratap Singh, a Thakur. The BJP is looking to corner Mr. Sangram by consolidating non-Yadav backward votes. “Balram Yadav’s family has won here many times. Now people are looking for a change,” says Anil Yadav, a research scholar doing field-work in Azamgarh.

In Sagri, the BSP’s Vandana Singh, a Thakur, appears solid as she has the sympathy factor after the murder of her husband Sarvesh Singh Sipu in 2013. Vandana is among the three Thakurs fielded by the BSP in Azamgarh as it looks to cash in on the Thakur-Yadav polarisation. “The Thakurs also fear they are losing the lead in Azamgarh,” said a local scribe.

In Mehagar, a reserved seat, the BSP’s Vidya Chaudhary also appears set to regain her seat, which she had held twice before.

In Lalganj, however, the BJP seems to have a strong contender in SP veteran Daroga Saroj who defected before the polls.