Two decades after poll debut from Kannauj, Akhilesh plans his return to SP’s erstwhile bastion

 

Two decades after he made his electoral debut from the Kannauj Lok Sabha constituency, Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav is planning to contest from the parliamentary seat in next year’s general elections.

Akhilesh won from Azamgarh in the last Lok Sabha election in 2019 but is not planning to return there after his cousin Dharmendra Yadav lost the bypoll last year. The bypoll was necessitated by Akhilesh’s decision to vacate the seat to continue as an MLA from Karhal in Mainpuri.

“Akhilesh Yadav ji has already told us that he will contest the 2024 Lok Sabha election from Kannauj. We have started the preparations for it. From June 1, the party will start reconstituting the booth committees. The district committee will also be constituted,” SP’s Kannauj district unit president Kaleem Khan told The Indian Express. “Akhilesh ji has already confirmed his plan to contest from Kannauj before the media during his recent visit.”

For Akhilesh, Kannauj is as safe as a seat can get. The Yadav family represented it in Parliament from 1999 to 2018 before the 49-year-old SP president’s wife Dimple lost the seat to BJP in 2019.

SP founder Mulayam Singh Yadav won from Kannauj in 1999. After he vacated the seat to retain Sambhal, Akhilesh made his electoral debut from Kannauj in 2000, defeating Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) heavyweight Akbar Ahmad Dumpy by more than 58,000 votes. Akhilesh won from Kannauj again in the next two consecutive Lok Sabha elections – 2004 and 2009. In 2014, the party fielded Dimple and she retained the seat. But she failed to repeat her performance five years later, losing to the BJP’s Subrat Pathak by 12,353 votes. Last year, Dimple was elected MP from Mainpuri, where a bypoll was held after Mulayam’s demise.

“Kannauj and Farrukhabad have been the land of samajwadis (socialists). Dr Ram Manohar Lohia contested the Lok Sabha elections from Kannauj and Farrukhabad. Akhilesh ji is working on the lines of Lohia ji,” said SP national secretary and spokesperson Rajendra Chaudhary. He, however, added that Akhilesh would contest from Kannauj “if the party decides”.

Muslims, Dalits, and Yadavs dominate the constituency. While Muslims constitute three lakh voters, Dalit voters number around 2.8 lakh, and Yadavs 2.5 lakh. The BJP’s win last time was the result of a chunk of Yadav and Dalit voters shifting their allegiance to the BJP.

Though the SP president has made frequent visits to Kannauj in recent months — he is scheduled to visit the district again on Monday — and has been raising local issues, the task to win back the seat will not be easy.

In the recently concluded urban local body polls, the SP managed to win only one (Talgram) out of the district’s five Nagar Panchayats. The BJP and Congress won one each while Independents won two. The SP was defeated in elections to all three Nagar Palika Parishad chairperson posts, with the BJP winning two and the BSP one.

But local SP leaders believe that Akhilesh’s return to Kannauj would give the party a boost in nearby constituencies too. “When Akhilesh ji decided to contest the Assembly elections from Karhal, it created a positive atmosphere in favour of the SP and acted as a morale booster for party workers. If he contests from the prestigious seat of Kannauj, the SP will get a similar benefit in 2024,” said a local party leader.

With Akhilesh planning to contest the parliamentary elections again, questions will be raised about where he wants to focus on his job as a Leader of the Opposition in the UP Assembly or move to national politics.

Last November, when asked if he would contest from Kannauj in 2024, Akhilesh said: “Kya karenge khaali baith kar ghar pe? Humara kaam hi chunav ladna hai. Chunav ladenge yahaan pe. Jahaan pehla chunav lade they, wahaan phir se ladenge (What will I do sitting idle at home? It is my job to contest elections. I will contest from here. Where I had fought my first election, I will contest from there again).”

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G20 tourism meet in Srinagar from today amid tight security

 

The third G20 tourism working group meeting is set to begin in Srinagar Monday amid elaborate security arrangements. The three-day meeting will see the highest participation of foreign delegates as compared to the two previous meetings, said G20 Chief Coordinator Harshvardhan Shringla Sunday.

“We have the highest representation from foreign delegations for the tourism working group meeting in Srinagar, than we have had in the previous working group meetings. Our experience is that in any working group meeting, to get such a large turnout of delegates not only from G20 countries but also from international organisations that are part of the G20 is an incredible process,” Shringla told reporters.

At least 60 foreign delegates will participate in the meeting although not all G20 member countries will be participating in it. Singapore has the largest contingent among the member countries attending the meeting, including its High Commissioner Simon Wong.

G20 meeting, G20 Summit, G20 meet, G20 Presidency, Srinagar set for G20 meet, kashmir set for G20 meet, Indian Express, India news, current affairs NSG commandos at Lal Chowk in Srinagar on Thursday ahead of the G20 meet . (Express photo by Shuaib Masoodi)

Bangladesh High Commissioner Mustafizur Rahman and South Korean Ambassador Chang Jae-bok are among other senior diplomats expected to attend meetings over the next three days.

Highlighting the significance of hosting the event in Srinagar, Shringla said, “If you have to do a working group on tourism in India, we have to do it in Srinagar. There is no option.”

This is the first such international event in Jammu and Kashmir since 2019, when it became a Union Territory. The first G20 tourism working group meeting was held in Gujarat and the second in West Bengal.

Shringla said the meeting has the broader objectives to present India’s rich and diverse cultural identity to the world and to promote tourism potential of India to the world. “We have tried to bring in the sustainable tourism, eco tourism, adventure tourism themes that are relevant to J&K,” he said.

The meeting also aims to strengthen economic growth, preserve cultural heritage, and promote sustainable development of the region. J&K Tourism Secretary Syed Abid Rashid said that 300 new tourist destinations on various tracks are being promoted in J&K to accommodate the burgeoning tourism industry in the region.

Sources, meanwhile, said an unprecedented security apparatus has been put in place in Srinagar for the G20 meeting. This includes reinforced CCTV surveillance, anti-drone system, deployment of the elite NSG and elite Marine Commandos and restrictions on civilian movement on key roads.

The J&K administration has dropped Gulmarg from the itinerary for security and logistic reasons. Security has been tightened in other parts of the Valley as well to thwart any militant attempt to disrupt law and order.

“We have placed a multi-tier security system in place,” a senior police officer told The Indian Express. “While some elite forces from the Centre have arrived in the Valley, the main responsibility of security has been given to police and paramilitary forces. There is an increased coordination between various security and intelligence agencies to prevent any militant design.”

Official sources said for the first time, the NSG and Marine Commandos have been deployed to secure the Sher-e-Kashmir International Convention Centre (SKICC), the venue for the meeting, and its surrounding areas.

While hundreds of security cameras are in place in the city already, the officials said the CCTV surveillance has been reinforced as more cameras have been installed to keep an eye on emerging situations. “The footage from the cameras is being monitored in real time,” the officer said.

On Saturday, traffic police issued an advisory restricting the civilian movement on the main road leading to SKICC for three days. All schools in Srinagar will also remain shut from Monday to Wednesday.

As a precautionary measure, the security agencies have asked members of the minority community and workers from outside to stay indoors. “With such heavy security bandobast, it is possible that militants might try to choose soft targets like outside workers or minorities,” said another police officer. “That is the reason such an advisory has been issued.”

J&K Lieutenant-Governor Manoj Sinha, meanwhile, said the G20 meeting in Srinagar is a “historic opportunity” for people of J&K to showcase their culture, heritage, tourism and warm hospitality.

“G20’s third tourism working group meeting starting from May 22 is a historic opportunity for 13 million citizens of J&K to showcase priceless culture, heritage, tourism and warm hospitality. All the citizens should come forward and be a part of this memorable event,” he said in his ‘Awaam Ki Awaaz’ Radio programme, seeking support of the people for the successful conduct of the event.

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