Why Allahabad is crucial for Congress this time

Allahabad (UP), April 30 (IANS) Two sons will fight against each other to save their father’s legacy in this historic constituency — Allahabad. They are also fighting for their parties.

Neeraj Tripathi, a well-known lawyer is making his political debut on a BJP ticket. He is the son of former Speaker and Governor, the late Kesri Nath Tripathi. He has replaced the sitting BJP MP Rita Bahuguna Joshi.

“The party has given us a lot. My father became minister, then Speaker and then Governor. I was appointed additional advocate general. Now I have got the opportunity to contribute what I can to the party. I will work hard to ensure this seat for the party,” he told IANS.

The BJP cadres in this constituency are excited over Neeraj’s candidature and his father’s immense popularity is a major advantage.

Ujjwal Raman Singh, on the other hand, is the son of Samajwadi Party veteran and former MP Reoti Raman Singh. He crossed over to the Congress from SP to contest the Allahabad seat.

A two-term MLA, Ujjwal Raman Singh is working hard to wrest back the seat of the Congress which has not won Allahabad in the past 40 years.

The Congress last won Allahabad in 1984 when the country witnessed a heart-stopping electoral battle between Amitabh Bachchan and former UP chief minister Hemvati Nandan Bahuguna. Bachchan got a 68.21 per cent record vote share.

The Allahabad seat has been known for sending stalwarts like P D Tandon, Lal Bahadur Shastri, Janeshwar Mishra, Vishwanath Pratap Singh and Dr Murli Manohar Joshi to the Lok Sabha.

Once a Congress stronghold represented by the country’s two former Prime Ministers Lal Bahadur Shastri and VP Singh among others, the constituency has eluded the party for the last four decades.

“My priority is to gift Allahabad back to the Congress. I have my father’s blessings and the support of SP and Congress,” he told IANS on Tuesday.

Incidentally, Allahabad is one of the few seats in Uttar Pradesh that the Congress is confident of winning.

“This time, the whole party is unitedly working for the polls and there are no divisions in the party,” said a senior Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee (UPCC) leader.

The Allahabad Lok Sabha constituency still known as Allahabad and not Prayagraj– was formed in 1952 and is made up of the five Assembly segments, including Meja, Karchhana, Allahabad South, Bara, and Koraon.

In recent years, the BJP has consolidated its position by winning five of the last seven elections, including 2014 and 2019, making this seat their stronghold.

–IANS

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