Phulpur is the legacy seat of the country’s former Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru.

Lucknow. After breaking the alliance with BJP, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s eyes are now fixed on the throne of Delhi. They are trying to unite the opposition. Meanwhile, a statement by JDU National President Lalan Singh has intensified the stir in the country and the politics of Uttar Pradesh. Actually, it is being said that Nitish Kumar can contest the upcoming Lok Sabha elections from Phulpur seat in Uttar Pradesh. In such a situation, now the subject of discussion is why Nitish Kumar, who was the center of Bihar’s politics, will contest elections from Phulpur in Uttar Pradesh?

If we examine the political history of Phulpur Lok Sabha seat, then the answer is found that why only Phulpur? Phulpur Lok Sabha seat is known as the legacy seat of the country’s former Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. The social and caste equation of Phulpur seems to be quite favorable for Nitish Kumar. The caste equation of Phulpur can prepare the winning equation for Nitish Kumar. Dalits have the largest population in this parliamentary seat. Their population is about 18.5 percent. After this there are Patel and Kurmi voters. Their population is 13.36 percent. Muslim voters are also 12.90 percent here. Apart from these, about 11.61 percent number of Brahmin voters in this seat. Vaish voters constitute around 5.4% of the population. Apart from these, Kayasthas are about 5 percent, Rajputs 4.83 percent, Bhumihars 2.32 percent. That is, overall the upper caste population here is 23 percent. If Maurya and other castes are included, then they come to around 16 percent. If Nitish Kumar engages the upper castes and Kurmi-Patels and gets the support of SP, then once again the equation of Phulpur can change. That is, if Nitish Kumar gets the support of SP and Bahujan Samaj Party on this seat, then the path will be easier for Nitish Kumar.

Phulpur Lok Sabha seat has been known as the parliamentary seat of the country’s first Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. He was an MP from this Lok Sabha seat throughout his life. For the first time in the year 1952, he won from here. Then in 1957 and 1962 elections also he got victory from here. Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia had also entered the electoral fray from Phulpur in the 1962 elections, but Nehru defeated him in the electoral fray.

This is election history

In 1964, after the death of Pandit Nehru, the by-election was held, then the Congress fielded Pandit Nehru’s sister Vijayalakshmi Pandit in the electoral fray and she won. Then in the 1967 general elections also she landed and was successful in registering victory. However, two years after this election, in 1969, he resigned from the parliament after becoming a representative at the United Nations. After the resignation of Vijayalakshmi Pandit, the people here gave a blow to the Congress in the Phulpur by-election in 1969. Samyukta Socialist Party candidate Janeshwar Mishra defeated Nehru’s cabinet colleague Keshavdev Malviya. For the first time, the supremacy of the Congress in this seat was broken. In the 1971 Lok Sabha elections, Vishwanath Pratap Singh got this seat back to the Congress. In the 1977 Lok Sabha elections, Kamala Bahuguna of the Rashtriya Lok Dal won the Janata Party wave. At the same time, Indira Gandhi made a strong comeback in the center in 1980, but BD Singh of Janata Party Secular won the Phulpur seat. The last time this seat was given to the Congress by Ram Pujan Patel in the 1984 Lok Sabha elections. Ram Pujan Patel fought and won on Janata Dal ticket in 1989 and 1991 elections. After this the seat was captured by SP. From 1996 to 2004, the SP maintained its hold here. In the 2004 elections, Atiq Ahmed became an MP from Phulpur. In the 2009 elections, Kapil Muni Karwaria of Bahujan Samaj Party broke the supremacy of SP in this seat. In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party fielded Keshav Prasad Maurya from here, he won. However, after the 2017 UP elections, Keshav Maurya was made the deputy CM of the state. He resigned from the MP. The BJP had to face a crushing defeat in the Phulpur by-election. After about 9 years, in the year 2018, SP returned in Phulpur politics through Nagendra Pratap Singh Patel. However, in the Lok Sabha elections 2019, once again this seat went to BJP through Kesari Devi Patel. Overall, Phulpur has not allowed any party to build its stronghold there permanently. In such a situation, JDU can try to fit Nitish Kumar in this equation.

Political-Geographical Significance of Phulpur

Phulpur Lok Sabha constituency comes within a radius of only 100 kms from Varanasi. The opposition, including JDU, also knows that it is difficult to reach the politics of the Center without encircling PM Narendra Modi in UP. However, previous attempts to surround him did not succeed, from Varanasi, Delhi Chief Minister and AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal also came up against PM Modi. They did not get success. In such a situation, more attention can be given to fortifications than to attack directly by entering the citadel.