Sunday, May 19

Anoop Pradhan, Revenue Minister Under Yogi Aditayanath Government Receives Lok Sabha Ticket From Hathras

Edited by Uzma Parveen

BJP has fielded Anoop Pradhan (Valmiki), from the Hathras Lok Sabha constituency. The other candidates in the fray include Samajwadi Party (SP) candidate Jasvir Valmiki, and BSP (Bahujan Samaj Party) candidate Hembabu Dhangar. Hathras Lok Sabha constituency will go for elections on May 7, 2024 (Phase 3). The results will be announced on June 4, 2024.

Anoop Pradhan (Valmiki) started his political career in 2005, and won the panchayat election in 2010, and became MLA in 2017. Pradhan is the state revenue minister under Yogi Aditayanath’s government in UP. He is a graduate and declared agriculture as his source of income.

In the Lok Sabha elections 2019, the voter turnout in the constituency was 61.76%. BJP candidate Rajvir Diler won the elections securing 684299 votes (59.49%) while SP candidate Ramji Lal Suman lost by 260208 votes. However, the Congress candidate Triloki Ram’s performance was disappointing as he received only 1% of the total votes.

Hathras Lok Sabha constituency comprises five assembly regions: Chharra, Iglas, Hathras, Sadabad, and Sikandra Rao. The Hathras constituency has been a BJP stronghold with 4 out of 5 seats won by BJP candidates and 1 seat by Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD). Since 1991, the Lok Sabha parliamentary seat was won by the BJP candidate except once by the RLD candidate in 2009.

Hathras Lok Sabha constituency is a SC category parliament seat. It comprises part of the Aligarh district and the entire Mahamaya Nagar district. The literacy rate of the Lok Sabha constituency is 58.93%. The SC and Muslim population of the constituency is 23.12% and 14.06%. There is no ST population in Hathras. The ruling party came under sever political criticism, after the Hathras gang rape case which received a public and political outcry. A 19-year-old Dalit girl was allegedly gang-raped and tortured by four upper cast people and subsequently cremated by the police in the absence of her family.