Azamgarh: Prestigious Battle In Yadav Family Bastion

The Azamgarh Lok Sabha constituency witnessed a close contest between sitting BJP MP Dinesh Lal Yadav Nirahua, and SP’s Dharmendra Yadav. Besides, BSP’s Sabeeha Ansari is also in the poll fray. The constituency is considered as a family bastion of Yadav.

Dinesh Lal Yadav, popularly known as ‘Nirahua’ after his Bhojpuri album ‘Nirahua Satal Rahe’. He is a Bhojpuri singer and actor by profession.

In the 2019 elections, Dinesh Lal Yadav Nirahua, faced stiff opposition from SP supremo Akhilesh Yadav and latter won the seat with a margin of 621,578 votes. However, in 2022, a by-poll held in Azamgarh as Akhilesh Yadav vacated from the seat since he got elected as MLA from the Karhal constituency. In the by-election, Dinesh Lal Yadav Nirahua won the seat by a margin of 8,679 votes by defeating SP’s Dharmendra Yadav.

Dharmendra Yadav is a cousin of SP chief Akhilesh Yadav. His father Abhay Ram Yadav is the younger brother of Mulayam Singh Yadav and elder brother of Shivpal Singh Yadav. He was first allotted Badaun seat, then replaced it with  Azamgarh.

Dharmendra Yadav, was elected to the 14 Lok Sabha in 2004 from Mainpuri (by-election). Following, he had contested the Lok Sabha elections from Badaun for the first time in 2009 and has won the election on SP ticket. In 2014, even amidst the Modi wave in 2014, he became MP for a second term from the same Lok Sabha constituency.

However, while eyeing for a third time in 2019, he lost to the BJP candidate Dr. Sanghamitra Maurya for around 18,000 votes. Similarly, in the Azamgarh by-election in June 2022, Dharmendra Yadav lost the election.

Though BSP has declared Bhim Rajbhar, former state president of the party as the Azamgarh candidate at first, replaced him with Sabeeha Ansari. Before joining BSP, Ansari belonged to Congress and worked as party’s minority cell office-bearer.

Azamgarh consists five Assembly segments: Gopalpur, Sagri, Mubarakpur, Azamgarh, and Mehnagar (SC). The seat has been dominated by Yadavs and Muslims. Traditionally, Azamgarh constituency has been stronghold of Yadavs and BJP won only twice with Yadav candidates; once in 2009 with Ramakant Yadav and in 2022 by-elections with Dinesh Lal Yadav. SP and BSP dominated the seat alternatively. Nirahua won by a marginal vote of 34.39 percent in 2022.