Big claim from sources before assembly elections, digital report will decide whose ticket will be cut

Muhammad Faizan/Azhar Umri

There is still about a year left for the electoral board to be laid for the assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, but the ticket claimants have already started setting their pieces in the political circles. The situation in many seats of the state is such that before going among the public, the leaders are fighting ‘Mahabharata’ to get symbols in their own parties. The list of contenders in both the camps of Samajwadi Party (SP) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has become so long that it is going to be a difficult task to approve any one name for the party leadership.

Actually, political experts believe that this time the contest is going to be directly between SP and BJP. The prospect of this ‘two-sided’ election has increased the restlessness of the contenders. Everyone wants to be seen standing on the right side at the right time.

Preparation of ‘Digital Report Card’ in SP, discussion on Mujahid Ali’s name intensifies

If we look at the figures of the last assembly elections i.e. 2022, then Nawab Jaan Khan of SP had won by a margin of about 19 thousand votes. The polarization of Muslim voters helped him become MLA for the third consecutive time, but this time there are no fewer thorns in his path. He seems to be facing a tough competition within the party itself.

This news is spreading very fast quoting political circles and sources that Mujahid Ali can present his claim from SP. Although Mujahid had contested the last election on BSP ticket and has not joined SP at present, there are rumors that he is planning to ride a bicycle. Mujahid’s activism in the last elections has kept him in the news, due to which there is some stir in the current MLA camp also. Apart from Mujahid, names of Mahmood Saifi and Salauddin Mansoori are also being heard in the race for the ticket.

Netaji’s ‘old formula’ and Akhilesh’s ‘new technology’

This time an interesting change is being seen regarding ticket distribution in SP. Old experts of the Samajwadi Party say that while giving tickets, the party’s founder late Mulayam Singh Yadav (Netaji) used to give more importance to the reports received from ‘dignitaries’ and elders of the area than from the party officials. He relied on the opinion of local people who knew the pulse of the land.

But, now in the era of Akhilesh Yadav, the functioning of the party has become quite ‘hi-tech’. It is being told that this time Akhilesh Yadav Social media and digital presence Making it a major ticket base. The high command is closely watching how many followers each contender has, how active he is on Facebook-X (Twitter) and how his news coverage is on digital media. This means that now it has become necessary to live up to the ‘Ground Report’ as well as the ‘Digital Report Card’.

The dilemma between ‘sympathy’ and ‘experience’ in BJP

Talking about BJP, here too the line of ticket claimants is no less long. Ajay Pratap, who stood second in the last election, is once again presenting his claim strongly. However, he is facing a challenge from his own party stalwart Rajpal Chauhan, who has contested the same seat earlier also.

Amidst all this, the name of Sadhna Singh, wife of former MP late Kunwar Sarvesh, is being discussed the most. According to local people, BJP may try to consolidate the vote bank by playing the ‘sympathy card’ here. The stance of the BJP high command is also clear this time – the party is in no mood to impose any ‘outsider’ candidate. The ticket will be given only to those who have a strong hold on social media as well as on the Chaupals.

The stake will be on ‘local’ faces, not external ones.

If party sources are to be believed, both the parties have indicated that priority will be given to those leaders who have been in the field for the last few years and have been partners in the happiness and sorrow of the people. This is the reason why the contenders are not leaving any chance to remain in the news as well as to show their activism among the public.

Overall, this race for tickets is no longer limited to rallies only, rather it has reached from the smartphone screens to the closed rooms of the high command. It will be interesting to see who wins in Akhilesh’s digital test and BJP’s caste equations.