Rajnath Singh: BJP's 'Man Of All Seasons' To Retain City Of Nawabs (image:facebook.com/RajnathSinghBJP)
Defence Minister and veteran BJP leader Rajnath Singh is regarded as a “go-to person” in the party, with his expertise to foster connection with the masses, colleagues, cadres and opponents. He is vying for a third consecutive term from Lucknow Lok Sabha constituency.
Lucknow, the core of the Hindi heartland, has been considered as Rajnath Singh”s stronghold. He hails from the capital city itself. Rajnath Singh, who belongs to Rajput community holds influential presence across states such as Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, and Gujarat, to certain extent. In 2014, he won the seat by defeating Congress candidate Prof Rita Bahuguna Joshi by 272749 votes. In 2019 elections, Rajnath Singh increased the vote margin by defeating SP candidate Poonam Shatrughan Sinha for 347302 votes.
From early onwards, Rajnath Singh actively associated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), before joining Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and the BJP. In 1972, he became the organisation”s general secretary in Mirzapur. Following, Singh entered into student politics through active involvement in the ABVP. He took over the charges including secretary of Bharatiya Jana Sangh, and the district president of Jana Sangh and helmed as district coordinator of the JP Movement. He got arrested along with many other JP movement activists. In 1977 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, he entered the poll fray and secured victory.
In the succeeding years, he held significant posts such as state secretary of the BJP, and state president of the party”s youth wing (BJYM), BJP state president on the party front, and on legislative level, he became an MLC, state education minister, Rajya Sabha chief whip, Union Minister in Atal Bihari Vajpayee government and then became Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh. Singh, then joined the Modi ministry and dealt key portfolios – Home and Defence.
Being a Defence minister, Rajnath Singh head a huge role in forging India a major military power. His tenure witnessed a major shift in which India began to focus on “atmanirbharta” or self-reliance in military production and also defence exports in the country are also increasing. However, Minister restricted the discussion on the Agnipath scheme for armed forces, a new and radical military reform which also caught controversy to take the centre stage.
In the elections, Rajnath Singh is pitted against Samajwadi Party (SP) candidate and Lucknow Central MLA Ravidas Mehrotra and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) candidate Sarwar Malik. For over the past 33 years, Lucknow has showed affinity to the saffron party, and it included victory to stalwarts like former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Lalji Tandon. When BJP won the seat eight times, the Congress clinched victory six times. The Lucknow Lok Sabha seat comprise Lucknow East, Lucknow West, Lucknow Central, Lucknow North, and Lucknow Cantt assembly segments.
