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Unnao Lok Sabha constituency: Candidates for 2019 LS poll, past results, all updates

This is one of the very few parliamentary constituencies in UP where the Congress is in a strong fight.

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Sakshi Maharaj and Annu Tandon
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Unnao Lok Sabha constituency is one of the 80 seats in Uttar Pradesh. The parliamentary seat is currently held by BJP's Sakshi Maharaj who had defeated Samajwadi Party's Arun Shankar Shukla in 2014 Lok Sabha elections. Sakshi Maharaj, who had threatened his party against nominated another candidate, has been again fielded by the BJP from here. 

This is one of the very few parliamentary constituencies in UP where the Congress is said to have a base and has made the contest triangular with the SP-BSP-RLD alliance and the BJP. Annu Tandon, who won the 2009 elections with a margin of over 3 lakh votes, is facing Sakshi Maharaj and SP's Arun Shankar Shukla. In the 2014 elections, Tandon, then the sitting MP, was at the fourth position behind Sakshi Maharaj SP's Shukla and BSP's Brajesh Pathak even though she managed to secure close to 2 lakh votes.

Earlier, the Samajwadi Party fielded Pooja Pal, a former BSP MLA who was suspended from the party by its chief Mayawati. Pooja Pal is the widow of murdered BSP MLA Raju Pal who was gunned down in Allahabad in 2005. She had defeated strongman Atique Ahmad in 2012 assembly elections. 

However, the party later changed its candidate and nominated its losing 2014 candidate Arun Shankar Shukla. He is locked in a triangular battle with Tandon and Sakshi Maharaj who earlier this month courted controversy with his remarks. 

Maharaj told people in his constituency that if they do not vote for him, they will face divine displeasure, prompting the police to lodge an FIR against the priest-turned-politician. "If you ensure my victory, I will work for you, otherwise do 'bhajan-kirtan' in temple," he said at an election meeting at Sheshpur village in Sihramau area on April 12.

"I am a 'sanyasi'. When a 'sanyasi' comes to your door and asks for 'bhiksha' (alms), and is not heard, he takes away all the happiness of the family and transfers his sins onto them," he added. 

"I am quoting from sacred scriptures. I am not asking for money or land. I am here to seek votes with which fate of Indians will be changed," he said.

Taking a serious note of the controversial comments, city magistrate Rakesh Kumar Gupta said a case has been registered against the BJP MP at Sihramau police station under IPC Section 171C (undue influence at elections) and relevant sections of the Representation of People Act, 1951. 

Unnao Lok Sabha constituency comprises six Assembly segments Bangarmau, Safipur (SC), Mohan (SC), Unnao, Bhagwantnagar and Purwa.

This is one of the constituencies in UP here the Congress has a good presence. Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi was in Unnao on the last day of electioneering and held a roadshow. Her brother and party chief Rahul Gandhi also campaigned for Annu Tandon here. 

UP is facing a three-pronged battle between the BJP, the Congress and BSP-SP-RLD alliance. Under the alliance's seat-sharing formula, the Mayawati-led Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) is contesting on 38 Lok Sabha seats of the total 80 seats, Akhilesh Yadav's Samajwadi Party on 37 seats and the Chaudhary Ajit Singh's Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) on three seats. The alliance has left two for Congress' Sonia Gandhi (Raebareli) and Rahul Gandhi (Amethi). 

The polling for 13 Lok Sabha seats in UP, including Unnao will be held in the fourth-phase on April 29. In 2014, the BJP won 12 of these 13 seats in the state. Only Kannauj, won by the Samajwadi Party, defied the Modi wave that year among them.

Altogether, 2,38,88,367 people are eligible to cast their vote at 27,513 booths in the 13 constituencies. A total of 152 candidates are in the fray with a maximum of 15 in Shahjahanpur. Jalaun has the minimum number of nominees at five.

The counting of votes of the Lok Sabha election 2019 will be conducted on May 23.

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