Key candidate withdraws in Kairana, opposition upbeat

Lucknow: In a major boost to opposition unity, the Lok Dal candidate who was contesting against his sister-in-law and Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) nominee Tabassum Hasan in the Kairana Lok Sabha by-election in Uttar Pradesh withdrew from the contest on Thursday.

Lok Dal's Kanwar Hasan also announced his support for the RLD nominee who is being backed by the Samajwadi Party, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Congress and Nishad Party.

The development, which could unite the minority vote in favour of the RLD, could make the going tough for Mriganka Singh, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate who is the daughter of Hukum Singh, whose death necessitated the by-election.

Hoping to repeat the Gorakhpur and Phulpur feat, the Opposition has united to defeat BJP candidate in Kairana bypoll which is to be held on 28th May. The move of the Opposition has put BJP's Yogi Adityanath government in some trouble.

SP-BSP alliance had caused a major upset for BJP in the Gorakhpur and Phulpur Lok Sabha by polls recently, wresting in both the prestigious seats vacated by Yogi Adityanath and Keshav Prasad Maura after they became the state chief minister and deputy chief minister respectively.

In Kairana, SP, BSP and Congress have extended their support to the Rashtriya Lok Dal candidate. Samajwadi Party leader Tabassum Hassan is contesting as RLD candidate. Fielding another party's candidates in its own platform itself is a vindication of the strengthening tie-up between the opposition parties.

RLD, a party with a strong voter base in Jat community, wants to convey a message of Jat-Muslim unity. BJP had won this constituency with the support of Jats.

Kairana had witnessed a widespread campaign of 'Hindu migration' orchestrated by RSS after Muzaffarnagar riots. But Hindu migration is not being discussed in the campaigns this time. Moreover, Jats who stood with BJP after the riots now disown the party.

The displacement of Muslims, who constituted the majority of the labour segment in the constituency, has become a setback to Jats. Arrears due to sugarcane farmers since 31stDecember is the hot topic among the voters in Kairana where there are six sugar factories. RLD leader Ajith Singh said that his party wants to take back the constituency into pre-Muzaffarnagar era and that only it could solve the problems faced by the farmers.

Bypoll is also being held at Nurpur legislative assembly of Bijnor district.