UP Polls: Intense Competition for Lucknow Cantonment Ticket in the BJP

Lucknow: Several BJP heavyweights have set their eyes on the Lucknow Cantonment assembly segment. From deputy chief minister Dinesh Sharma to party MP Rita Bahuguna Joshi’s son, there are several ticket aspirants for this seat. The seat is currently held by BJP legislator Suresh Chandra Tiwari.

Given the number of hopefuls in the ruling party, the assembly segment has now assumed the status of a 'VIP seat'. Several BJP leaders who do not lose any opportunity to target political rivals for nepotism and dynasty politics have publicly sought the party's ticket for their children from this Brahmin dominant seat.

Heightened competition

Among the hopefuls is Allahabad MP Rita Bahuguna Joshi, who wants the party leadership to nominate her son, Mayank Joshi from the Lucknow Cantonment seat. The younger Joshi will be making his political debut in the upcoming elections.

Rita Bahuguna Joshi, a former state president of the Congress party, vacated the seat in 2019 – when she became an MP from Allahabad. The BJP then fielded Suresh Chandra Tiwari in the Lucknow Cantonment seat, who emerged victorious in the by-election.

Rita Bahuguna Joshi has already made it clear that she is willing to end her own political career to allow her son to enter politics. She recently said she was "ready to resign as an MP" if Mayank Joshi was fielded as the BJP's candidate from Lucknow Cantonment.

Her supporters asked the party leadership if defence minister Rajnath Singh could get a ticket for his son Pankaj Singh and MP Rajvir Singh could do the same for his son Sandeep Singh, why can't Mayank be fielded?

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According to party sources, Dinesh Sharma, the deputy chief minister and former mayor of Lucknow, also wants to contest from this constituency. Sharma apparently considers it a safe seat for the party because of the presence of a sizeable Brahmin voters.

Earlier, the BJP announced that chief minister Yogi Adityanath will contest from Gorakhpur (Urban) and the other deputy chief minister, Keshav Prasad Maurya, will be fielded from Sirathu in Prayagraj district. However, the party is yet to take a call on Sharma's candidature.

Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath, his deputies Dinesh Sharma and Keshav Prasad Maurya and BJP state president Mahendra Nath Pandey celebrate the victory of the party in the state civic body elections at the party office in Lucknow on Friday. Credit: PTI Photo by Nand Kumar

Party sources added that Sharma would prefer to contest from the Cantonment seat because it has 1.5 lakh Brahmin voters and 60,000 Sindhi and Punjabi voters who have traditionally supported the BJP. There are also 25,000 Vaishya and 40,000 Muslim voters in the Cantonment seat.

To further heighten the competition, Mulayam Singh's daughter-in-law Aparna Yadav, who joined the BJP on Wednesday, January 19, is also eying this seat.

Yadav, the wife of Prateek Yadav, had contested the 2017 elections from the seat as an Samajwadi Party (SP) candidate, but lost to Rita Bahuguna Joshi, who was then with the Congress party.

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On the other hand, it is also widely speculated that Lucknow’s mayor Sanyukta Bhatia wants to see her daughter-in-law become the Lucknow Cantonment candidate. Her son Prashant Bhatia is said to be in touch with senior functionaries of the Sangh parivar.

Amid all the aspirants, some BJP leaders share the view that Suresh Tiwari should be renominated from the seat. Before 2019, he had also won the seat in 1996, 2002 and 2007 on the BJP's ticket. Expecting to be renominated, Tewari has already started his campaign on the ground, meeting the electorate.

'Coveted seat' 

Political commentators believe that the Lucknow Cantonment seat will become the most coveted assembly seat in Uttar Pradesh.

Former Times of India editor Atul Chandra says since the Lucknow Cantonment seat is a safe seat for the BJP, several leaders want to try their luck from there.

He believes that deputy CM Dinesh Sharma may get the ticket as Rita Bahuguna Joshi's position in the party is not strong. Sharma has worked for the party, even in Gujarat, which may work in his favour, Chandra added.

Independent journalist Kulsum Talha agrees. "I am not sure if the BJP will field Aparna Yadav from where Sharma is also seeking a ticket," Talha says.

BJP leader Hero Bajpai said the party will take a call on the candidate after assessing the winnability of the aspirants.

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