Jalaun Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Close Contest On In This Bundelkhand Seat But Edge With Sitting BJP MP – News18

The Jalaun (SC) Lok Sabha constituency is one of 80 parliamentary constituencies in Uttar Pradesh. This seat is reserved for candidates from the Scheduled Castes. It comprises entire Jalaun district and parts of Jhansi and Kanpur Dehat districts. Five Assembly segments fall under the Jalaun (SC) Lok Sabha seat, of which four are currently held by the BJP (Bhognipur, Madhaugarh, Orai-SC and Garautha) and one by the Samajwadi Party (Kalpi).

Polling Date — May 20, 2024; Phase 5

Sitting MP — Bhanu Pratap Singh Verma (BJP)

Candidates — Bhanu Pratap Singh Verma (BJP), Narayan Das Ahirwar (SP)

Political Dynamics

• A bipolar contest is on in Bundelkhand region’s Jalaun between the ruling BJP and the Samajwadi Party, which is contesting as part of the INDIA bloc.
• The Samajwadi Party is giving a tough fight to the sitting BJP MP this time, but the latter is said to have the edge in the constituency.
• BJP Gunning for Hat Trick: The saffron party has held a dominant streak in Jalaun, winning on the trot since 2014 after successful runs in 2004 and between 1991 and 1998.
• It’s also a prestigious seat for the party with Union minister and sitting MP Bhanu Pratap Singh Verma on the ticket. Verma is a five-time MP from Jalaun, having won in 1996, 1998, 2004, 2014 and 2019.
• In 2019, he had retained his seat by a margin of 158,377 votes with a vote of 51.49%.
• This time, Verma is in the hunt for a hat-trick from Jalaun. If he manages to win, he would be the first MP since 1971 to score three consecutive wins from Jalaun.
• Bhanu Pratap Singh Verma is a prominent SC face of the BJP in Uttar Pradesh. In 2001, he became vice-president of the Uttar Pradesh BJP’s SC Morcha and a decade later, became its president.
• As an MP, he was a member of the Committee on Welfare of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.
• In 2021, he was inducted into Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s cabinet as Minister of State in the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises.
• Even though he is a union minister, Verma is said to have strong connect with Jalaun voters since he makes it a point to visit the constituency regularly. Many locals cite his simple personality as one of the points in his favour since it makes him appear more approachable and accessible.
• Challenger from SP: The Samajwadi Party, which is fighting the elections as part of the INDIA bloc, has fielded Narayan Das Ahirwar from the Jalaun seat.
• Ahirwar was a founding member of the Bahujan Samaj Party and was made cabinet minister from 2007 to 2011. Somewhere in 2014, his ties with the party leadership soured and he jumped ship to the Samajwadi Party.
• The last time the SP won the Jalaun seat was back in 2009 when Ghanshyam Anuragi unseated BJP’s Bhanu Pratap Singh Verma
• Addressing a rally in Jalaun on May 14, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav promised that farmers’ loans will be waived, and Minimum Support Price will be guaranteed if his party is voted to power.
• Tapping Into Bundeli Sentiments: The demand for creation of a Bundelkhand state by carving out districts from Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh has been around for decades. Jalaun is one of the constituencies that falls within the geographical limits of this proposed state.
• Seven districts in Uttar Pradesh — Banda, Mahoba, Hamirpur, Lalitpur, Jhansi, Jalaun, and Chitrakoot — and eight districts in Madhya Pradesh — Datia, Tikamgarh, Chhattarpur, Sagar, Damoh, and Panna — come in this region.
• All major parties in Uttar Pradesh — BJP, Congress, Samajwadi Party and BSP — have at some point paid lip service in support of Bundelkhand statehood but there has been no concrete action on paper or on the ground.
• On May 14, BSP supremo Mayawati said if her party is voted to power, it will carve a separate state of Bundelkhand.
• Caste Factors: Caste arithmetic plays a major role in candidate selection in the reserved Jalaun seat.
• Scheduled Caste and OBC voters play the decisive role in who gets the mandate, followed by around 1.25 lakh Muslim voters.
• Apart from the Muslim votes, the Samajwadi Party can count on the sizeable Pal, Yadav and Ahirwar votes in the constituency.
• Around 100 households in Madhaugarh Assembly segment are said to be extended relatives of BJP’s Bhanu Verma whose votes the party can count on.
• Kushwahas also enjoy significant numbers in the constituency and are likely to stand behind the BJP as always.
• The General category voters in the constituency are also likely to back the BJP.

Key Issues

• Water Scarcity: Water scarcity is one of the problems faced by locals in Jalaun. Historically, the region has been impacted with concurrent droughts and famines.
• While the issue has been addressed up to a point that famine and drought do not occur regularly, some areas in the region still face water scarcity.
• According to reports, every summer, Jalaun is faced with a water crisis in several areas. There is a big problem of drinking water in Kotra Nagar Panchayat with a population of 12,000.
• Despite being located near the Betwa river, there has been a major water crisis in the region. The groundwater is saline and hence groundwater extraction is not a viable source.
• Jal Nigam board had installed a tube well and a tank 3km kilometres away years ago, but the entire Panchayat is not getting supply from it.
• Farmer Issues: Farmers in Jalaun are distressed due to repeated crop failures. Incessant rains, hailstorms coupled with water scarcity in the summers has made agriculture a difficult task.
• Repeated crop failures have led to increasing debt burden and loans on the farmers, especially for those who procured loans from local money lenders. Delayed compensation has added to the farmers financial crisis. Moreover, rising costs of production due to unavailability of fertilisers and pesticides at government rates has cut into the profits of the markets and has even led to huge losses.
• Farmers have also been unable to sell their produce directly to the government due to the many regulations and complexity of the process. This forces them to sell their produce at cheaper rates to local traders.
• Farmers have demanded a higher MSP for their produce from the government, and timely delivery of compensation in times of crop failure to help recover their losses.
• Sewage Issues: Inadequate sewage infrastructure which has failed to be upgraded for over more than two decades has become a major issue in Jalaun city. People have complained about stinking overflowing manholes and nalas.
• The issue has worsened in the area of Konch Nagar where sewer water is flowing on the streets with no solution provided despite the people repeatedly calling on the local administration.
• In March, the people submitted their complaint to the District Magistrate after which the manholes and streets were cleaned, but the cause still remains to be addressed.
• Women Safety: Women safety has become a major issue in Jalaun. In 2023, a 17-year-old Dalit girl was gang raped in the region. She died by suicide after the police allegedly forced her family members to reach a compromise with the accused.
• In another incident last year, a 38-year-old man died by suicide after the police took no action against the men accused of gang-raping his minor daughter in Akodhi village.
• The father had also filed a complaint against the local policemen on the Chief Minister’s Jansunwai online portal.
• Uttar Pradesh recorded the highest number of crimes against women in 2022.
• Railway Connectivity: Jalaun district has been deprived of railway connectivity with the only proper railway station being in Jalaun city. Jalaun is a rural constituency, and the majority of the population has to travel to the city to avail railway connectivity.
• Eight years ago, a survey was conducted regarding the railway track. However, no action was taken.
• From Lal Bahadur Shastri to Mamata Banerjee, everyone promised railway connectivity but failed to deliver on their promises. A survey of 89.66 km railway line from Konch to Phaphund via Jalaun and 217 km railway line from Mahoba to Bhind via Jalaun was done in 2014, however the project was shelved in 2016 citing a lack of budget.
• People were incensed and went on an indefinite hunger strike. To placate the issue assurances were provided but again no work was done.
• Unemployment and Migration: There is a lack of new major industries in the region. Moreover, the old industries in the region are declining due to issues pertaining to absence of government support. In addition, there is also a lack of central and state government projects.
• This forces the people to stick to agriculture where returns have been dwindling and most farmers are under tremendous debt. This has resulted in the youth migrating outwards to find better employment opportunities in Kanpur and Lucknow or even as far as Delhi.
• Lack of Civic Infrastructure: Civic infrastructure in the region has been an issue for decades. While the city has adequate healthcare infrastructure and roads, it is the rural regions which suffer.
• According to onground reports, there is a lack of all-weather roads in many villages scattered across the region. This hampers movement and connectivity especially in the rainy seasons when roads are washed away.
• Moreover, educational infrastructure in the region is lacking and there is no major higher education institute for people wishing to achieve a master’s degree.
• There is also a lack of sanitation facilities in the rural areas exposing the people to various diseases, for which they have to travel to the city on broken and washed away roads.

Demographics

Total Voters: 1929137

SC: 536,300 (27.8%)

ST: 1,929 (0.1%)

Geographical Composition

Urban Voters: 408,977 (21.2%)

Rural Voters: 1,520,160 (78.1%)

Religious Composition

Hindu: 90.2%

Muslim: 9.5%

Infrastructure Development

• Bundelkhand Expressway: It is a 296 km-long, four-lane wide access-controlled expressway which provides improved connectivity to the Bundelkhand region of which Jalaun is a part of.
• The total cost of the project was approximately Rs 1,500 crore.
• The expressway is an immediate need of the region to provide improved connectivity to facilitate the movement of goods and people within the region to foster economic growth in the backward regions of Bundelkhand.
• Solar Park: The Jalaun Solar PV Park, a ground-mounted solar project spanning 250 acres, began operations in October 2021. The park generates 85,000 MWh of electricity annually, enough to power approximately 25,000 homes.
• Jalaun Ultra Renewable Energy Power Park: It is an under-construction power park which will be constructed in the Orai region of Jalaun Lok Sabha constituency, at an investment of Rs 796.96 crore.
• Railway Infrastructure: A limited height subway was constructed in place of level crossing no. 180 at Tow Case 1200 between Erich Road and Parauna. Manned level crossing no. 200 between Chaumrah and Pokhrayan was replaced with a limited height subway, as was unmanned level crossing no. 152 between Moth and Erich Road. Orai station received 30 new stainless-steel dustbins, its platforms were raised, and it received retro-reflective signage, a water vending machine, and four automatic ticket vending machines. A waiting room was added for passengers at Pokhrayan station. Retro-reflective signage was also installed at Ait and Kalpi stations.

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