Prayagraj: The Phulpur bypoll is likely to be a close contest between two ex-MLAs for the prestigious seat in the trans-Ganga pocket of the Prayagraj district. While BJP has named former MLA Deepak Patel as its candidate Samajwadi Party has fielded three-time ex-MLA Mujtaba Siddiqui. Political experts feel that despite the presence of a first-time BSP candidate Jitender Singh, the contest is likely to be between the two former MLAs.
Patel had won the Karchana assembly seat in the 2012 assembly polls on a BSP ticket defeating SP candidate Ujjawal Raman Singh. However, in 2017 polls he lost to the Samajwadi Party. Patel later joined BJP in 2018.
He is the son of former BJP MP Keshri Devi Patel. Patel, who also held the post of zila panchayat president, will file his nomination papers on Friday. BJP's district spokesman Rajesh Kesarwani said: "The party has gained an upper hand by fielding Patel.
The development works being taken up by the BJP-led state govt and Patel's proximity with voters will yield the desired results for the party." Kesarwani added that the party has taken up a voter connectivity exercise in both online and offline modes to establish samvad (dialogue) with eligible voters, and for that, booth-level workers are conducting door-to-door campaigns. The BJP won the Phulpur assembly seat in the 2017 and 2022 state assembly polls.
The seat had fallen vacant after the sitting BJP MLA Praveen Patel was elected to Lok Sabha. The Samajwadi Party (SP) had last won the .
