As the campaigning for the byelection to the Kairana Lok Sabha and Noorpur assembly seats ended on Saturday, political parties have put in their full strength to ensure victory of their respective candidates. The two segments go to polls on May 28.

Leaders and workers of the political parties are busy trying to woo the voters on the last day of the campigning.

In view of the alliance between Samajwadi Party and Rashtriya Lok Dal for the said seats with support of Congress and BSP, the fight is directly between the BJP and alliance candidates. On the Noorpur assembly seat, the fight is between alliance candidate Naemul Hasan of SP and Avni Singh of BJP. Avni is wife of the BJP MP Lokendra Singh.

On Kairana seat, where election has turned high-profile, alliance candidate Tabassum Hasan of RLD is contesting againstBJP’s Mriganka Singh, daughter of deceased MP and stalwart party leader Hukum Singh.

Enthused by the victory of the Gorakhpur, Phoolpur Lok Sabha election in alliance with BSP, the SP leadership came up with an alliance with RLD for the two seats in latter’s stronghold.

All rank and file of the SP and RLD with thousands of workers and leaders have been campaigning to ensure victory. Former ministers of the SP, including Azam Khan , Shahid Manzoor, besides party officer bearers have been travelling extensively to reach out to the masses.

From RLD, party Chief Ajit Singh and his son Jayant Chaudhary too have worked very hard. The RLD leadership has also tried to revive it’s winning Jat-Muslim equation which was disturbed in the past elections.  In fact, the Jats have distanced themselves from RLD after the riots of Muzzaffarnagar in 2013. But now they seem to be successful in breaking the ice and Jats are showing an inclination towards the RLD. Also, the polarisation of Muslim votes is expected in favour of the alliance candidate.

BJP, on the contrary, has also put in its complete strength in this byelection. All ministers, MPs, MLAs and office-bearers have been campaigning. Even Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Dy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya have been campaigning extensively. In Kairana, CM addressed two rallies, suggesting that he is not ready to take chances.

It is believed that the BJP is working hard to take the voters to the polling booths and ensure a good poll percentage. Low percentage my hamper their prospects in the election as in Gorakhpur/Phoolpur.

“Our stress is to take maximum voters to the polling booths,” said Ashwini Tyagi, BJP’s regional president of western UP, adding that “we are contesting the election on the issues of law and order and works of development done by our governments at the Centre and state”.

The opposition, however, is confident of their win. “Whatever manipulation they do but will not be able to defeat our candidate,” claimed Sunil Rohta, states spokesperson of RLD, mentioning the programme of inauguration of eastern peripheral expressway in Baghpat, which is adjoining Kairana by the PM Narendra Modi on Sunday, after the campaigning comes to a halt on Saturday.

The opposition has charged that this is a deliberate attempt of the BJP to influence the voters.  “But people are now aware of their reality,” said Rohta.

“People of Kairana have already extended their support to the BJP,” said Mriganka Singh adding that her father had done a lot for the people of this constituency and they are realising this. Hukum Singh had been an MLA from Kairana for four terms and in 2014, he won the parliamentary election. He has raised the issue of Hindus’ exodus. Yet he could not ensure the victory for his daughter Mriganka from Kairana , in the last assembly election who lost to Nahid Hasan , who is the son of Tabassum, RLD candidate in this by election.