Lucknow, April 17 – Campaigning on eight seats set for the first phase of elections in Uttar Pradesh on April 19 will come to a close today at 5 p.m. The key contenders in this phase are the Bharatiya Janata Party-led NDA, the Samajwadi Party-led INDIA bloc, and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP). The seats up for grabs are Saharanpur, Bijnore, Kairana, Muzaffarnagar, Nagina, Moradabad, Rampur, and Pilibhit.
In this phase, the Congress will be campaigning only in Saharanpur, with a roadshow led by party General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra in support of candidate Imran Masood. This phase sees a three-cornered contest among the BJP, SP, and BSP, with each party intensifying its efforts to win over voters in the crucial constituencies.
The BJP was successful in securing three seats in the first phase in 2019, while the SP won two and the BSP three. The SP had previously contested in alliance with the BSP in the 2019 elections, but this time around, parties have formed new alliances and adopted fresh strategies to maximize their chances of victory.
Key candidates in this phase include Jitin Prasada in Pilibhit, Union Minister Sanjeev Balyan seeking a third term in Muzaffarnagar, and Azad Samaj Party chief Chandra Shekhar Azad in Nagina. The absence of Azam Khan, a prominent figure for the SP currently in jail, has not stopped him from influencing the elections in Rampur and Moradabad.
While the BJP, SP, and BSP have actively campaigned in the region, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, BSP President Mayawati, and other leaders have been addressing rallies and holding meetings to garner support for their respective candidates. As the campaign comes to a close, all eyes are now on the voters in these key constituencies in Uttar Pradesh.
