Phase 1 of Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections 2017 is set to begin tomorrow. The politically crucial state is all set to witness a tough fight between four parties in the much-awaited assembly election on Saturday. Campaign in the first of seven phased Assembly elections had ended in 73 seats of western Uttar Pradesh where Prime Minister Narendra Modi staked his all in the fight against SP-Congress alliance and BSP making it essentially a triangular contest. Urging the voters to end the ‘vikas ka vanvas’ (exile of development) and projecting demonetisation as an attack against corruption, Modi and BJP accused SP and BSP of plundering the state over the years and targeted the SP-Congress alliance, saying the two had come together to save themselves. Joining hands with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav led the SP assault, as party patriarch Mulayam kept away following family feud, with the two scions taking on Modi over “suffering” of common man due to note ban and his “unfulfilled” promise of ‘acche din’. Akhilesh also reached out to voters on his “performance”, claiming his government had taken up development works like Metro and expressways.
Number of voters
According to data available with the Election Commission of India, Aligarh has 2,94,190 registered voters. There are 1,62,963 male and 1,31,221 female registered voters in the constituency.
What are the key issues
Along with other seats, Aligarh is crucial given that it falls under western UP region. Communalisation and development are two key issues.
Who was the winner last time
In 2012 Uttar Pradesh assembly elections, Zafar Alam of Samajwadi Party won this constituency convincingly. Ashutosh Varshney got 45,205 votes.
Who are the competing candidates
Apart from Zafar Alam of Samajwadi Party, Mohd Arif of Bahujan Samaj Party, Lav Kumar Bansal of Rashtriya Lok Dal, Sanjeev Raja of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) are in the fray.
Why this constituency is important?
Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD), which aims to add a ‘fourth dimension’ in Uttar Pradesh politics, had released its sixth list of candidates for the upcoming Assembly elections in the state spanning 27 constituencies. The prominent seats for which candidates have been announced include Lucknow East, Aligarh, Bareilly City, Barelliy Cantt, Saharanpur. SP will look to keep the seat in its kitty whereas BJP and others will try to make a case.
