New Delhi: Congress star campaigner Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will conduct w in support of INDIA bloc nominee Ram Nath Sikarwar in Fatehpur Sikri seat in Uttar Pradesh on May 3. Polling on the seat will take place on May 7.
“Priyanka Gandhi will do a roadshow in the Fatehabad assembly area under the Fatehpur Sikri Lok Sabha seat on May 3,” AICC in charge of UP Avinash Pande told ETV Bharat.
Sikarwar, a retired Army soldier, took part in the Kargil war and lives a simple life inside a local temple complex in Kheragarh area. The Fatehpur Sikri political fight has assumed a poor vs rich tone given Sikarwar’s meagre resources against the rich and the powerful of the area backing the rival candidate and BJP’s sitting MP Rajkumar Chahar.
The BSP has fielded a Brahmin Ram Niwas Sharma to capitalize on the significant community population in the parliamentary seat which comprises five assembly segments Fatehpur Sikri, Fatehabad, Kheragarh, Agra Rural and Bah.
According to party insiders, the BJP candidate is facing revolt from within his party as local MLA Babulal Chaudhary has fielded his son Rameshwar Chaudhary as an independent in the parliamentary seat which has around 3 lakh Jats out of the total 18 lakh voters.
Though the traditional contest in the seat has been between the BJP and the BSP, the entry of a Thakur candidate from the Congress has made the fight triangular and interesting to watch. In 2019, BJP’s Chahar had defeated Congress’ Raj Babbar, now a party nominee from Gurgaon in Haryana.
In the 2022 UP assembly polls, Ram Nath, considered close to Priyanka Gandhi, had given a tough fight to BJP’s Bhagwan Singh Kushwaha in the Kheragarh seat and got over 65,000 votes. Then too Priyanka had done a roadshow for him.
In 2024, Sikarwar can dent the BJP’s Thakur vote base in the Lok Sabha seat and supported by ally SP’s Muslim and backward voters, can upset the saffron party’s game plan, said Congress insiders.
“Sikarwar’s campaign is largely funded by the locals and is mostly capitalizing on his popularity among the locals. We are confident of our candidate’s win. The BJP is a divided house and the BSP’s is on its way out now. The public wants candidates with clean image,” AICC secretary in charge of UP Pradeep Narwal told ETV Bharat.
Ram Nath retired from the Army in 2004 and has been involved in social work since then through his outfit Laxman Sena which particularly helps labourers and farmers. Often spotted donning the army battle fatigues, Sikarwar is popular among the youth and the old alike. He is seen cycling during his campaign and pedaled on his way to file his nomination. He regularly flags the need to fight the corruption in the system dominated by the rich and the powerful.
“Sikarwar has been a Panchayat member and knows the ground politics very well where the local muscle men often tend to subvert the democratic system. It is important for us to strengthen the voice of the poor,” said Narwal.
Read more
Suspense Continues On Rahul From Amethi, Priyanka From Rae Bareli; Just 3 Days Left For Nominations
