Lok Sabha Election Phase 2: Arun Govil vs Sunita Verma in Meerut Creates Riveting Contest

The BJP secured victory in the country’s largest state in 2014 and 2019, although its total seats decreased from 72 to 62 out of 80. The party is now focused on regaining its losses, with the aim of achieving the 370-seat target set by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In the 2019 elections, the Samajwadi Party, in alliance with the Congress, joined forces with Mayawati’s Bahujan Samaj Party, winning a total of 15 seats.

However, Meerut was not among them, as the BJP’s two-time sitting MP Rajendra Agarwal emerged victorious, albeit with progressively narrower margins. The division of the Muslim vote among the SP, Congress, and BSP candidates was cited as a factor in the BJP’s victory. In pursuit of the 370-seat goal, the BJP has opted to replace Mr. Agarwal with the hope that the enthusiasm surrounding the Ayodhya Ram temple will propel Mr. Govil to victory.

However, the SP’s selection of candidate has posed challenges, as Dalits and Muslims comprise around 50% of the constituency. Initially, the SP chose Bhanu Pratap Singh, a Supreme Court lawyer and outsider, to contest a seat that has consistently voted for the BJP since 2004. This decision was met with resistance from the party’s local cadre, prompting a change to Sunita Verma, the former Mayor of Meerut, whose husband is a well-known figure in the constituency.

The contest is shaping up to be triangular, with the BSP fielding Devvrat Tyagi, leveraging caste considerations central to the state’s politics.