Come elections and Allahabad has some interesting ballot news.
Phulpur parliamentary constituency seat incidentally has thrown up an interesting combination of candidates in this 2024 elections in the country.
The three important contestents in the election fray were once together working for Bahujan Samajwadi Party ( BSP) at the grass root level.
But the race for power and ticket split them.
Amar Nath Maurya fielded by Samajwadi Party, once upon a time was a BSP leader.
Present BJP candidate Praveen Patel had won the assembly elections on BSP ticket and the BSP candidate Jagannath Pal is from the same party.
But, the three parliamentary candidates who once worked hard to strengthen BSP are now pitted against each other in this election.
Elections in Phulpur, it may be mentioned have always attracted the nation’s attention.
This parliamentary constituency was once the stronghold of Nehru Gandhi family.
The first Prime Minister of India, Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru was elected from Phulpur in 1952, 1957 and then again in 1962.
Later, Vishwanath Pratap Singh who was PM in 1989 -90 was elected to the parliament from Phulpur.
Vijay Luxmi Pandit from Nehru family won the Phulpur by- election in 1964 after Pandit Nehru’s death.
She retained the seat in 1967.
Kamla Bahuguna wife of late Hemwati Nandan Bahuguna had won this seat as Janta Dal nominee in 1977.
Besides Nehru family, Ram Pujan Patel first as Congress candidate and later as Janta Dal nominee also has the distinction of representing this seat thrice in a row.
Samajwadi party leader Jung Bahadur Patel was victorious from this seat in 1996 and 1998.
What came as a bolt from the blue in 2004 when voters of this important constituency voted for now slain gangster Ateeq Ahmad.
