Kairana bypolls: BJP loss margin highest in Assembly segments of two ministers

BJP nominee Mriganka Singh lost in Kairana against Opposition nominee Tabassum Begum, who contested on the RLD symbol, with a margin of 44,618 votes. The BJP lagged behind Tabassum with 28,117 votes in Nakur and 15,159 in Thana Bhawan.

Nakur MLA Dharam Singh Saini is state Minister (Independent Charge) for Ayush, Scarcity, Relief and Rehabilitation. The four-time MLA was earlier with the BSP and a minister in the last Mayawati government. He joined the BJP in 2016 after the BSP denied him a ticket. Saini was not available for comment.

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Thana Bhawan MLA Suresh Rana is state Minister (Independent Charge) for Sugarcane Development and Sugar Mills. He also holds the portfolio of Industrial Development as Minister of State.

During the bypoll campaign, the Opposition had alleged delay in payment to sugarcane farmers. Rana had camped in Kairana to assure farmers of timely payment of dues. Adityanath, in his two public meetings, had said sugarcane was an issue and took responsibility for payment to every farmer.

When contacted, Rana said, “To hide the perception of their alliance of castes, opposition parties diverted the issues towards sugarcane payment and power. But the BJP government has done much more than the past governments for farmers.”

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He claimed that in 2015-16, during SP rule, payment to sugarcane farmers in Kairana Lok Sabha area was only Rs 406 crore till May 31, 2016. “Till May 31 in the current crushing season, total payment to farmers in the same constituency was Rs 995 crore.”

In Nakur Assembly segment, the BJP got 86,224 votes against the Opposition’s 1.14 lakh votes. In Thana Bhawan, the BJP got 77,080 votes against the Opposition’s 92,239 votes. In Gangoh Assembly segment, the Opposition got 12,263 votes more than the BJP. In Jat-dominated Shamli, it got 2,149 votes more than the BJP. In Kairana Assembly segment, which has a mixed population of Gujjars and Muslims, BJP recorded a lead of 12,949 against the Opposition.

In the Lok Sabha seat, most of the Dalits are in Nakur and Gangoh segments, where Muslims also comprise a significant number.

In 2017 Assembly elections, the BJP faced defeat in only Kairana Assembly seat segment, where Tabassum’s son Nahid Hasan as SP nominee defeated BJP’s Mriganka Singh. In 2017 polls, the total votes of the opposition (SP, BSP, Congress and RLD) in the five Assembly segments of Kairana Lok Sabha seat was 6.46 lakh against the BJP’s 4.53 lakh.