'Caste, Modi wave have set the tone for voting rather than development in Kushinagar seat'

KUSHINAGAR: The sugar bowl of east UP , Kushinagar, votes on Sunday and witnesses a triangular contest while the Muslim voters are said to be holding the key. With less than 48 hours left for polling, when TOI spoke to voters on Friday, they said caste and Modi wave have set the tone for voting rather than development.

Congress candidate R P N Singh, gathbandhan’s Nathuni Prasad Kushwaha and BJP’s Vijay Dubey are locked in a neck-to-neck battle. “R P N Singh has personal connect with voters. He is one of the few leaders in state who draws voters from all castes and groups,” said Devender Kunwar of Khadda. He has built upon the legacy of his late father C P N Singh and holds maximum influence in Padrauna, he added.

The decisive role, however, would be played by Muslim voters. Kushinagar has more than two lakh Muslim voters, constituting about 14% of the total electorate. Sanjay Mishra, who reports for a Hindi Daily, said, “If Muslim votes get divided between Congress and gathbandhan, it would be a much easier fight for BJP. At present, it is a close contest.”

OBCs have the most dominant presence in the constituency and constitute close to 40% of the population. Kushwaha and Sainthwars are the two dominant groups. Sainthwars who write ‘Singh’ surname are Kurmis and Congress’s R P N Singh is their most prominent representative. Sainthwars traditionally owned huge tracts of land in the region. Kasya and Padrauna have most Sainthwars and that makes Congress strong in these pockets. Kushwahas have been traditional BJP supporters but BSP-SP-RLD combine’s Nathuni Prasad Kushwaha, who is an educationist, can corner some votes of the community. “SP, BSP have never won any Lok Sabha or Vidhan Sabha election from Kushinagar till now,” said Aftab Ansari of Dumri. Yadavs also have a considerable presence and so have SCs who are 18% of total population.

BJP, on the other hand, is banking on Modi wave. “It’s a tough seat for BJP for sure, but Modi wave can make huge impact,” said educationist Triloki Nath Mishra. Vijay Dubey, former MLA from Khadda, is the BJP candidate and has also been an active Hindu Yuva Vahini member. Govardhan Singh Gond, a farmer in Kasya, said, “Many political leaders wanted us to boycott polls but we are with Modi ji.”

Kushinagar was carved out of Padrauna Lok Sabha seat in 2008 delimitation exercise. The first Lok Sabha election in 2009 was won by RPN Singh when he defeated BSP’s Swami Prasad Maurya. Kushinagar has five assembly segments: Haata, Ramkola, Khadda, Padrauna and Kushinagar. Ramkola assembly segment is reserved for SC. BJP had won four seats in 2017 elections while Ramkola was won by SBSP.

The closure of five sugar mills over the years is a cause of resentment among farmers but gets pushed back by caste preferences. PM Modi had promised to restart Padrauna mill but it is still closed. “We demand that two private mills in Laxmiganj and Ramkola should also restart,” said Bharatiya Kisan Union’s Deewan Chandra Chaudhary. Five mills in Kaptanganj, Dhadha, Ramkola, Seorahi and Khadda are working. “Kaptanganj mill has worst record when it comes to cane dues payment,” said Choudhary.