The Lok Sabha seat in Lakhimpur Kheri is set for elections and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has renominated Ajay Mishra, despite his son being accused in a controversial 2021 incident involving an SUV. The incident led to the death of farmers during a protest. The decision to renominate Mishra has been labeled a “tight slap” by local farmers.
The constituency has over 18.6 lakh voters and the key issues are better prices for farmers’ produce, the menace of stray cattle, and job creation. The Samajwadi Party (SP) has nominated Utkarsh Verma and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) has put forward Anshay Kalra as their candidate.
Mishra, who is popular among the upper caste voters, is focusing his campaign on development under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership. However, local sentiments are mixed with traditional vote banks exploring new options and concerns about job creation and development are prevalent.
Farmers in Lakhimpur Kheri feel they receive inadequate government support, struggle with rising costs versus stagnant produce prices, and face issues due to stray cattle and lack of proper infrastructure and connectivity.
In terms of strategy, the SP has formed an alliance with INDIA against the BJP. The BSP, on the other hand, is confident about winning the seat. The polling is set for May 13 in the fourth phase of elections.
