Stakes high for all but it’s Mayawati who’ll gain or lose most

LUCKNOW: The ‘Muslim-Dalit’ combination of the opposition alliance will be put to test in the Braj region of UP in the second phase of the

Lok Sabha elections

.


This phase is especially crucial for BSP as it is contesting six of the eight seats. SP is contesting only on one, Hathras, where four-time

Firozabad

MP Ramji Lal Suman is in fray. RLD’s Narendra Singh is pitted against Hema Malini in Mathura.
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Muslims comprise more than 20 per cent of the electorate in five of the eight constituencies, while four seats are reserved for scheduled castes. Agra is known as the

Dalit

capital of North India. Muslim and Dalit voters comprise more than 60 per cent of the total electorate in Nagina, one of the four reserved constituencies. Similarly, they together account for 55 per cent in Amroha and almost 50 per cent in Agra and Aligarh.

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Two former cine stars — Hema Malini and Raj Babbar — will be in the fray today. Hema (BJP) will defend the Mathura seat and UPCC chief Babbar will contest from Fatehpur Sikri instead of Moradabad.

A total of 85 candidates are in the fray in the eight seats, mostly dominated by Muslims, Dalits, Jats and Lodhs. Five of the eight seats are part of the sugarcane belt. Like in the first phase, farmers’ resentment over cane dues is likely to play a crucial role this time as well. In 2014, BJP had won all the eight seats, most of them by a huge margin, thanks to a split in Jats, Lodhs and a significant chunk of Dalits, especially non-Jatav, votes. Non-Jatavs form 45 per cent of the Dalit population.

Although Bhim Army’s “tacit support” to Congress may have some impact, both BSP and SP hope that Muslims would back the alliance to defeat BJP.