Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will be arriving in the city on Wednesday to campaign for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ahead of the Lok Sabha bypoll in Palghar on May 28.
The BJP has fielded former Congress leader Rajendra Gavit as its candidate in the constituency, whose sizeable north Indian population is likely to play a crucial role in swinging the election in the party’s favour. Meanwhile, Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray will also be campaigning in the constituency for their candidate Shrinivas Wanga.
BJP spokesperson Madhav Bhandari said, “The Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister is a popular figure among the north Indian residents in the city. His campaigns in the urban areas of the constituency will surely help us.” The BJP has planned a rally by Mr. Adityanath in Virar on May 23 and party leaders are also mulling over the possibility of holding an additional rally.
It is important for the BJP to fare well in the bypolls in Palghar and Bhandara-Gondia as it has suffered a setback in the recent Karnataka Assembly elections, where the party failed to form a government despite emerging as the single largest party. The post-poll alliance between the Congress and the Janata Dal (Secular) prevented the BJP from coming to power in a southern State. The party had emerged victorious in the constituencies in the 2014 general election.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis held two rallies on Sunday in Palghar, which being a reserved constituency has a majority tribal population and urban population in Nalasopara, Vasai, Virar and Boisar. The BJP is keen on concentrating more on the sizeable north Indian voters in Nalasopara and Virar. In his rallies, Mr. Fadnavis has been targeting the Bahujan vikas Aghadi, the party led by Hitendra Thakur, which controls the urban region.
‘Voters being fooled’
There is likely to be a clash between the Mr. Adityanath and Mr. Thackeray as the Sena supremo will also be addressing two rallies in Nalasopara and Boisar on May 23. Meanwhile, the Congress has alleged that the Sena and the BJP are fooling the voters. Congress spokesperson Sachin Sawant said, “Both the parties are fooling the people of this State. On the one hand the State government is implementing the projects by snatching tribal lands while on the other the Sena is part of the government. Both the parties are fooling the people.”
