BJP eyes fifth win in Khair, SP out to break jinx
BJP aims to retain Khair seat in by-polls with RLD support, while SP seeks its first win. Candidates include Surendra Diler (BJP) and Charu Ken (SP).
The Bharatiya Janata Party, a four-time winner, is looking to extend its dominance in the Khair (SC) reserved assembly seat in Aligarh district and is bolstered by its new ally, the Rashtriya Lok Dal, while the Samajwadi Party is out to break the jinx of never having won this seat.
Once an area of influence of former Prime Minister the late Chaudhary Charan Singh, Khair has always seen Jats in a position to decide the outcome in the assembly polls in this constituency.
Besides Jats, this seat has a strong presence of Brahmins, Dalits and Muslims.
Khair, along with eight other Uttar Pradesh assembly seats, will go to by-polls on November 20.
The BJP has fielded Surendra Diler, while the SP has nominated Charu Ken who contested the 2022 elections as the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) candidate. The BSP has put its bet on Pahal Singh.
In 2022, the BJP candidate Anoop Pradhan won this seat, polling 1,39,643 votes. He defeated the BSP’s Charu Ken who got 65,302 votes. Rashtriya Lok Dal candidate Bhagwati Prasad polled 41,644 votes while the Congress was in a distant fourth position by getting just 1514 votes. The RLD was with the SP in 2022 but is now a BJP ally.
The by-election on the Khair seat was necessitated after sitting BJP MLA Anoop Pradhan vacated the seat on his election as the Member of Parliament from Hathras in the 2024 general elections.
{{/usCountry}}The by-election on the Khair seat was necessitated after sitting BJP MLA Anoop Pradhan vacated the seat on his election as the Member of Parliament from Hathras in the 2024 general elections.
{{/usCountry}}Since its inception, the SP has never been able to win this seat. Even in 2012 when the SP formed a majority government in Uttar Pradesh, its candidate lost deposit on this seat.
{{/usCountry}}Since its inception, the SP has never been able to win this seat. Even in 2012 when the SP formed a majority government in Uttar Pradesh, its candidate lost deposit on this seat.
{{/usCountry}}The BJP has emerged victorious for the maximum four times in 1991, 1996, 2017 and 2022. The RLD has won this seat twice, in 2007 and 2012. The BSP emerged victorious here once in 2002. The Congress won this seat last in 1980. The Janata Dal won the seat in 1993.
{{/usCountry}}The BJP has emerged victorious for the maximum four times in 1991, 1996, 2017 and 2022. The RLD has won this seat twice, in 2007 and 2012. The BSP emerged victorious here once in 2002. The Congress won this seat last in 1980. The Janata Dal won the seat in 1993.
{{/usCountry}}BYPOLL EQUATIONS
{{/usCountry}}BYPOLL EQUATIONS
{{/usCountry}}Shyam Veer Singh, a Dalit and former pradhan of Arni village panchayat in Khair, said, “The BJP won the Khair seat for two consecutive terms in 2017 and 2022 despite the RLD which enjoys a good support among Jats not being with it. This time, the RLD is on the BJP’s side and this fact only brightens the saffron party’s prospects.
On the other hand, Pradeep Sharma of Biharipur village said this time the fight is tough for the BJP. According to him, the SP nominating Charu Ken has changed the equations to the BJP’s disadvantage.
“Charu comes from the Jatav community but is married to an influential Jat family. She is expected to get the support of both Jats and Jatavs,” he said.
“Jatavs, by and large, have thrown their weight behind the SP candidate,” he added. Most people believed there is a straight fight between the BJP and the SP in Khair with the BSP likely to end up as a spoiler.
