Lok Sabha elections 2024: With the BJP fielding its sitting MP Dr Mahesh Sharma for the third consecutive time, Samajwadi Party (SP) giving ticket to INDIA bloc candidate Rahul Awana and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) fielding Rajendra Singh Solanki, the Gautam Buddha Nagar Lok Sabha constituency is all set to witness a three-cornered contest this time.
The seat will go to polls in the second phase on April 26 and the counting of votes will be done on June 4.
The three candidates of Gautam Buddha Nagar
Sharma, a two time BJP MP and a doctor by profession, has a strong support base of urban voters which has always been a traditional vote bank of the BJP.
In 2019, Sharma won the seat for the second consecutive time with a margin of 3,36,922 votes. He polled 8,30,812 votes with a vote share of 59.64 percent. He defeated BSP candidate Satveer Nagar who got 4,93,890 votes (35.45%). Congress candidate Arvind Kumar Singh stood third with 42,077 votes (3.02%) in the constituency.
In the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, Sharma polled 5,99,702 votes with a vote share of 50 percent. SP candidate Narendra Bhati got 3,19,490 votes (26.64 percent) and was the runner-up. Sharma defeated Bhati by a margin of 2,80,212 votes.
For the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, Awana (38), on the other side, is a local Gujjar candidate who enjoys a good rapport among the youth voters. Additionally, he also enjoys support from the entire Gujjar community which has always had an influence in the election results on this seat.
The BSP, which had last won this seat in 2009, is banking on support of farmers and traditional voters of the party. They are also seeking support from rural areas as BSP Chief Mayawati also hails from one of the villages in Greater Noida.
Claims by the parties
The BJP candidate is vocal about works done by the Narendra Modi government for the development of the Gautam Buddha Nagar district while the SP is seeking for a change. Meanwhile, the BSP is claiming that it is the only party which has ensured overall development of the region in the past.
History of Gautam Buddha Nagar
The constituency was renamed as Gautam Buddha Nagar after the 2008 delimitation. BSP’s Surendra Singh Nagar had won the first general election held in 2009 from this seat. In both the 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha elections, BJP’s Mahesh Sharma won from this seat.
Before delimitation and re-naming, the area fell in the Khurja Lok Sabha constituency, a seat won by BJP’s Ashok Kumar Pradhan in 2004, 1999, 1998 and 1996. In 1991, Roshan Lal of Janata Dal had won in 1991, Bhagwan Dass Rathore of Janata Dal won in 1989, Veer Sen of Congress in 1984, Trilok Chand of Janata Party (S) in 1980 and Mohan Lal Pipil of the BLD in 1977.
Among the NCR cities, the Gautam Buddha Nagar is considered to be a high profile seat in Uttar Pradesh. The constituency comprises major cities — Noida, Greater Noida and Greater Noida (West) besides hundreds of rural areas and has five assembly constituencies which are Noida, Dadri, Jewar, Sikandrabad and Khurja.
Gautam Buddha Nagar and its poll issues
As far as issues are concerned, development of the newly setup area, last mile connectivity in absence of adequate public transport, women safety and expansion of Metro network are likely to dominate the election campaigning this time. Since the area is known for its high rises and group housings, issues faced by home buyers and investors are being raised by the voters.
Voters of Gautam Buddha Nagar
During the 2019 Parliamentary election, there were 23,02,960 voters in the Gautam Buddh Nagar constituency. As many as 12,68,324 voters were male, 10,34,503 were female voters and 133 voters belonged to the third gender.
In 2014, the total number of voters in the Gautam Buddha Nagar constituency was 19,86,109. Out of this, 11,05,732 voters were male and 8,80,377 were female voters. No voter in this constituency belonged to the ‘others’ category in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls.
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