Will BJP's Rajveer Singh Secure A Hat-Trick In Etah's Lok Sabha Contest? (image-X/RajveersinghUP)
To understand who Rajveer Singh is, one must trace back to the rich and controversial history of one particular political figure in his family. Kalyan Singh, the two-time former chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, is revered as an icon of Hindu nationalism who played a pivotal role in the movement for the construction of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. At the time of the Babri Masjid demolition by a mob of ‘karsevaks’, the late Kalyan Singh served as the chief minister of the state.
The former RSS member and Padma Vibushan awardee, Kalyan Singh, has been instrumental in establishing the saffron party’s stronghold within Uttar Pradesh. After leaving the BJP, in the 2009 general elections, Kalyan Singh successfully won from his birthplace, Etah, as an independent candidate and eventually rejoined the BJP in 2014. In September 2019, Kalyan Singh was brought to trial for a criminal conspiracy to demolish the Babri Masjid, but was later acquitted by a special court of the CBI in 2020.
Following in his footsteps, his son, Rajveer Singh, has established himself in the political world of the state by being elected as the MP from Etah in 2014, further deepening the influence of the BJP in the region. Receiving a third nomination in the hopes of maintaining his winning streak in Etah, the incumbent MP clearly has the confidence of the party’s high command.
Singh secured the seat with 51 percent of the votes in 2014, defeating SP candidate Devendra Singh Yadav, who only managed to secure 29 percent of the votes. The next general elections witnessed a similar result, with Singh gaining 54 percent of the votes, defeating Yadav, who, interestingly, gained more votes (42 percent) than his previous time.
Considered to be the BJP’s infallible fort, the Etah Lok Sabha constituency comprises five Vidhan Sabhas, including Kasganj, Amanpur, Patiyali, Etah, and Marhara. Apart from the Samajwadi Party’s hold on Patiyali, the rest of the four segments are led by the BJP.
The contentious issue of the Ram Mandir holds profound significance for the state and Singh himself. The establishment of the temple marks the BJP’s victory in its Hindutva cause, pioneered by the late Kalyan Singh, who is known to have given up his seat as Chief Minister for the ‘karsevaks’. With the completion of the temple, the emotional appeal of the Ram Mandir, and father Kalyan Singh’s significant political presence within Etah and, by extension, Uttar Pradesh, BJP candidate Rajveer Singh alias Raju Bhaiya can once again be the frontrunner from Etah in the Lok Sabha elections.
