Lucknow: BJP candidate SP Singh Baghel filed his nomination from Mainpuri's Karhal assembly constituency on Monday, highlighting his impending contestation against Samajwadi Party president and former UP chief minister Akhilesh Yadav. Despite the scales tipping in favor of Yadav, who has a notable advantage in Karhal due to Mainpuri being an SP stronghold, the fight might turn out to be more than what it seems on the surface.
Political analyst and veteran journalist Adesh Shukla is of the same opinion. Shukla, in a conversation with ETV Bharat, says that such a contest between Baghel and Yadav would help in boosting a narrative. The analyst noted that this could also be a ploy to showcase the difference in priorities.
Taking Baghel forward, Shukla noted, the party wants to provide "a narrative of development vs caste politics", as Yadav's victory "would depend crucially on the MY(Muslim-Yadav) vote count".
Shukla stated that this was another way to get the message across that BJP was not willing to let the heavyweight score an easy win.
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Karhal also consists of 30% non-Yadav population, acquiring votes from which Baghel can propel himself against Yadav.