Mainpuri: By-polls to the nine assembly constituencies in Mainpuri, known as the Samajwadi Party (SP) bastion, is the talk of the town. BJP was able to win in one constituency that too by fielding a Yadav candidate and this time the saffron party is repeating the same strategy.
Karhal constituency is set for a Yadav vs Yadav duet as BJP has pitted Anuj Yadav, former SP leader son-in-law of late Mulayam Singh Yadav, against Tej Pratap Yadav, nephew of SP chief Akhilesh Yadav. Ultimately it has turned into an uncle-nephew duet. Here BSP has bet on the Shakya community by fielding Awalish Shakya and Azad Samaj Party has fielded Pradeep Kumar.
Karhal, with a large Yadav community, has historically supported the SP. But BJP romped to victory in 2002 by playing the Yadav card. Sobaran Singh made the lotus bloom for the maiden time in Kahal but the joy was short-lived as he defected to SP.
Karhal has about 1.25 lakh Yadav, 35,000 Shakya, about 30,000 Jatav, 30,000 Kshatriya, 18,000 Brhamins, 18,000 Pal, 13,000 Lodhi and 15,000 Muslim electors. Apart from Yadav, this time, the BJP is struggling to garner all non-Yadav OBC votes with itself.
Karhal voters often repose faith in the same leader even if he changes the party. Looking at the electoral history, the same candidate has been elected two, three or five times in a row. They never left the person they trusted once even if the candidates change party in the next election. Akhilesh Yadav's influence is still intact in Yadav-dominated areas. But on the other hand, BJP's strength is visible among OBC and upper caste communities.
Karhal was transformed into a constituency in 1957 adding a large part of Shikohabad to it. Nathu Singh won the constituency on a Praja Socialist Party ticket. After this, the seat was put into the reserved category, which was brought back to the general category in 1974. This time, Singh tried his luck from BKD and won.
In the 1977 elections, Singh contested on a JNP ticket and won again. Babu Ram Yadav contested from Lok Dal in 1985 and became MLA for the first time. After this, the people of Karhal were so impressed with him that they kept seeing him to the assembly despite him changing parties.
Yadav won the 1989 elections on a Janata Dal ticket and in 1991 on a Janata Party ticket. After this, he became MLA on a Samajwadi Party ticket in the 1993 and 1996 assembly elections.
Sobran Singh Yadav, who won on a BJP ticket in the 2002 elections, joined the SP and won the 2007, 2012 and 2017 elections. In 2022, he left the seat for Akhilesh. Now, as Akhilesh Yadav also leaving the seat, no old face is in the fray in this by-election.
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