Unnao: Will it be a hatrick for BJP's Sakshi Maharaj?
Lucknow and Kanpur, Unnao, whose political identity has been dominated by the Kuldeep Singh Sengar saga for a while, is witnessing a familiar battle between old contenders, but external factors may change the dynamics.
Sengar, former BJP MLA, was sentenced to life imprisonment four years ago by the Delhi HC for raping a minor. The BJP's incumbent two-term MP Sakshi Maharaj is facing a spirited fight from former Congress MP from Unnao Annu Tandon for a third time, but this time as SP candidate. Originally from Kasganj, he won three Lok Sabha elections from Mathura and Farrukhabad, before being brought here in 2014, then winning on the back of almost en bloc support from the dominant Lodhi caste here as well as Nishads, combined with the Hindutva and Modi factor. But he has not been able to develop much of a positive reputation for himself in the past ten years. It is this 'Modi-Lodhi' factor that Tandon is challenging.
A native of Unnao — whose late husband Sandeep Tandon was advisor to Mukesh Ambani — Tandon is widely known for her philanthropic activities, from contributing generously to weddings of girls to holding camps for eye checkups and more, according to locals.
She had won in 2009 with more than 50% vote share — Bollywood actor Salman Khan had campaigned for her then — but has been struggling to move past the 15-16% vote share over the past ten years as the Congress kept getting weakened in the state.
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