Ramveer Thakur, Only Hindu Candidate In UP’s Kundarki Seat, Helps BJP Win After 30 Years – News18
Last Updated:
Kundarki, one of the nine UP Assembly seats that went to by-polls, has remained a SP stronghold as the BJP last won the seat in 1993.
BJP’s Ramveer Thakur Singh | Image/CNN-News18
As the counting of votes concluded for by-election to nine assembly seats in Uttar Pradesh on Saturday, BJP threw a major surprise in the Kundarki assembly constituency, where the party’s candidate Ramveer Thakur Singh emerged victorious defeating 11 contenders from the Muslim community.
Thakur, who was the only Hindu candidate in the fray in the Muslim-majority constituency in Uttar Pradesh, won the seat with a margin of over 1.4 lakh votes, helping BJP to reclaim the seat after a gap of 30 years.
Kundarki, one of the nine UP Assembly seats that went to by-polls, has remained a Samajwadi Party stronghold. The BJP last won the Kundarki seat in 1993.
Why Kundarki Was A Unique Challenge
Thakur was pitted against SP’s Mohammad Rizwan, Aazad Samaj Party (Kanshi Ram)’s Chand Babu, All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen’s Mohammad Varnish and Bahujan Samaj Party’s Rafatullah.
Kundarki constituency, part of west UP’s Sambhal Lok Sabha seat, consists of 2.23 lakh (62 per cent) Muslim voters out of the 3.83 lakh total voters.
Political observers attributed the BJP’s unexpected victory in the seat to a strategic decision to field a Hindu candidate, Ramveer Thakur Singh, which resulted in a split of the Muslim vote.
BJP’s Historic Win In Kundarki
Singh defeated the Samajwadi Party candidate with over 1.4 lakh votes as he recorded 1,70,371 votes, while Rizwan secured a mere 25,580 votes.
“I am thankful to UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath ji and all my seniors from the party for choosing me as a candidate from Kundarki. I was not at all expecting such a huge win,” said Ramveer Thakur Singh.
UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath called Kundarki’s mandate a victory of nationalism and expressed his gratitude towards the people of the constituency, giving credit to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
What Led To BJP’s Victory?
The political observers credited the BJP’s surprising victory to the party’s strategic move of fielding a Hindu candidate in a Muslim-dominated constituency, which led to a split in Muslim votes. While a few also credited Singh’s famous ‘skull-cap look’ behind BJP’s massive victory in Kundarki.
“BJP’s Ramveer Thakur was the lone Hindu candidate from Kundarki while others including that of SP were all Muslims. The data from the ECI hints at the split in Muslim votes, which led to the BJP’s victory and the downfall of the SP candidate,” said Shashikant Pandey, political observer and head of the Department of Political Science at Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar University, Lucknow.
“SP’s Mohammad Rizwan got 25,580 votes, Aazad Samaj Party’s Chand Babu got 14,201 votes, Bahujan Samaj Party’s Rafatulla got 1099 votes while there were seven other Muslim contestants who contested as independent candidates. Hence, Ramveer being a lone Hindu candidate got all Hindu votes,” he added.
While some attributed BJP candidate Ramveer Thakur’s victory in Kundarki to the split in Muslim votes, others pointed to his strategic use of symbolism, particularly his skull cap look, as a key factor.
Kundarki, like other poll-bound constituencies, saw extensive campaigning, but what set the BJP’s campaign apart was Ramveer’s visible effort to connect with the Muslim community.
Spotted wearing a skull cap at several events, this approach resonated with a section of Muslim voters. Political analysts believe this symbolic outreach played a significant role in diverting Muslim votes to Ramveer, contributing to his unexpected win in the Muslim-dominated seat.
Some also pointed out anti-incumbency sentiments, and reports of factionalism among local leaders, as another reason behind SP’s downfall in Kundarki.
Highest-Voter Turnout In Kundarki
In the recently held by-polls, Kundarki stood out with the highest voter turnout among the nine UP Assembly seats. The constituency, part of the Sambhal Lok Sabha seat, has a 60 per cent Muslim population, making it a long-standing stronghold for the Samajwadi Party (SP).
However, the BJP managed to break this 31-year record, marking its first win since Chandra Vijay Singh’s victory in 1993.
The BJP’s strategy of fielding the only Hindu candidate, Ramveer Thakur, against 11 Muslim contenders, including SP’s Mohammad Rizwan, proved pivotal.
Rizwan, a seasoned politician with over 40 years of experience and a three-time MLA, faced a significant challenge despite his track record of victories in 2002, 2012, and 2017.
The BJP’s focused campaign, high voter turnout, and Ramveer’s symbolic gestures, like donning a skull cap, effectively consolidated non-Muslim votes while swaying a portion of Muslim voters.
This victory not only shattered the SP’s dominance in Kundarki but also signalled a significant setback for SP chief Akhilesh Yadav, raising questions about the party’s future strategy in its bastions.
Demands Of Repolling Surface
On November 20, the day of voting in the Kundarki bypoll, Samajwadi Party (SP) candidate Mohammad Rizwan raised serious allegations of electoral malpractice, demanding a repoll.
Rizwan claimed there were systematic efforts to prevent minority community voters from exercising their franchise and accused the administration and police of acting with bias to intimidate SP supporters.
In his letter to the Election Commission, Rizwan stated, “Since morning, the administration and police acted with bias and intimidated our supporters. I request you to cancel the poll and conduct a repolling on the seat. The SP is boycotting the poll due to this rigging.”
Meanwhile, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav posted on X, ‘The tactics of those who have made ‘election’ synonymous with ‘corruption’ have been captured in photographs and exposed before the world. The world, the country and Uttar Pradesh saw the most distorted form of electoral politics in this by-election. There may be a time for falsehood but not an era. Now the real struggle has begun… clench your fist, tighten your fist and make the PDA proclaim ‘Judenge toh jeetenge!’’
- Location :
Uttar Pradesh, India
Discover more from Divya Bharat 🇮🇳
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
