Unnao Lok Sabha Constituency: Opposition Alliance’ Tactics Vs BJP’s Sakshi Maharaj
Unnao is a cornerstone constituency in UP. It”s a general category seat comprising the entire district of Unnao. It has been a stronghold of BJP. The incumbent MP Sakshi Maharaj is on his third attempt for Parliament membership after bagging two consecutive victories in the 2014 and 2019 general elections. In the past assembly election too, BJP could show their dominance by winning in all six assembly segments in the constituency.
Swami Sachchidanand Hari Sakshi Ji Maharaj, the BJP candidate is a veteran politician who had also won the general election in 1991 from Mathura, 1996 and 1998 from Farrukhabad. He was also a member of Rajya Sabha from 2000 to 2006.
He is a constant companion of controversies. As part of the Ram Janmabhoomi movement, he became a prominent Hindutva face known for his vocal advocacy of hindutva principles and fiery speeches. Ha also has history of being suspended from Rajya Sabha on corruption charges in 2006.
The Samajwadi Party (SP) candidate, Annu Tandon, is also a familiar figure in the constituency. She is contesting the election in Unnao for the fourth time since her first victory in 2009 on congress ticket. Then in 2014 and 2019, Congress fielded her as candidate but couldn”t stand the BJP storm. Since then the Congress party witnessed a decline in their support base in the constituency, and SP and Mayawati’s BSP garnered more votes. But, in 2020, Annu Tandon left Congress to join the Samajwadi party.
In the constituency, BSP has fielded 68-year-old Ashok Kumar Pandey as their candidate. Himanshu Sharma of Bhartiya Shakti Chetna Party, Saif Khan for Parcham Party of India along with three other independent candidates are also in the battlefield. This time, SP will get support from Congress as an INDIA alliance partner. With their increasing vote share and decline in influence of BSP, SP expects a potential shift in voter sentiment towards their favour.
The key observation in this constituency lies in the dynamics surrounding the Ram mandir and the emergence of INDIA alliance, and June 4 will tell how the electorate responds to these factors.
